Among us girls
by Al-Saiduq
Summary: Teikou's girls' basketball team's glory lies within the talent of five prodigies. However, none of this would be possible without their phantom coach. Kuroko/genderbent!Kiseki Can be read out of order.
1. Remniscence of Teikou pt 1

_A/N: Yep. Decided to be different and genderbent everyone else. Aren't I great? Hope you guys like a harem. I'm gonna change up a lot of things in this fic. In fact, a large portion of it is gonna come from my mind more than the canon. But I'll try to keep up. I need a better title. Any suggestions?_

_Things to note: Murasakibara is taller for good reason. I've yet to meet a Japanese girl who is 6'8". Tryna be a bit more realistic here. _

_Aomine's given name will stay the same because if I were to use any of the similar names (Akira, Aiko, etc.), no one will have a hell of an idea who I'm talking about when I start breaking out into given names (though Aiko wouldn't have been too bad). Plus, she's gonna be a tomboy. Might as well have a name to go with it. Let's just play with the idea that her parents got lazy lol. _

_LOL at Akashi's name (Seika='pure summer' Oh the irony~). _

_Everyone with the exception of Murasakibara, is shorter than Kuroko. I did this for numerous reasons: 1) It just fits, 2) It's Murasakibara's outstanding point, I'm gonna make it exclusively her's for this harem, 3) Kuroko needs his time to shine lol. _

_I'm gonna make Midorima a childhood friend of Kuroko's. Admittingly, it'd be hard to write how Midorima's just gonna up and fall for Kuroko immediately with her personality. Fall for him just cause he picked up her lucky item? Really? Plus, childhood crush plus tsundere equals awww factor._

_Akashi's profile is left off for a reason. I don't know enough about him to really build up a story. So I'll BS it later if the manga takes any longer to get into his actual character. But for now, ooooohhhhh~ ambiguous~ How suspenseful~_

**_This is a reupload because wanted to screw up the first time. I apologize for the inconvenience._**

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

_Teikou's basketball team has been well-known throughout the basketball circuit. However, the most notable would be the girl's basketball team. Consisting of five members, this school held a group prodigies known as Kiseki no Sedai (Generation of Miracles). These known prodigies have advanced their way to the top team in the Japanese basketball circuit with consecutive victories after victories. This success could not have happened without an important factor._

* * *

"Kuro-chin!" A large figure draped herself over him. Kuroko, with great difficulty, supported her weight and looked up at her lazy expression.

"Yes, Murasakibara-san?"

"Could we go to Maji after this?" She asked, cocking her head to the side cutely. This did not go unnoticed by the other regulars.

Murasakibara Asami, Teikou's girl's basketball team's center, was taller than the average Japanese girl her age (she claimed it was her growing stage at the time and that it was 'normal'). Standing at 180 cm (about 5'8"-5'9") with medium-length, natural purple hair tied to a side bun and an apathetic expression painted on her pretty features. Her favourite activity: snacking. Eating was nice too, in her opinion, but nothing could beat the satisfaction from a salty cracker snack or a sweet lollipop (it was also normal for girls to envy her fast metabolism...). But nothing could compare to receiving a snack from Kuroko or being accompanied by him to lunch. After all, she thought he was as sweet as her candy, therefore, she loved him as much as candy – and that was very much. In the first month of their first year, Murasakibara was bullied by a group of girls for her height and her tendency to always eat. When enough was enough and she nearly lashed out at them, Kuroko intervened and complimented her. _'I don't think anything's wrong with your height. It's a special factor that only belongs to Murasakibara-san and it's very nice.' _and he handed her a piece of candy she never tasted before. The taste brought her to the conclusion that it could only be love.

From a distance, Kise Risa, Aomine Daiki, Akashi Seika, and Mirodima Shino stared with jealousy at the attention Murasakibara was receiving from their coach.

"That'd be fine with me. I'm sure everyone would like a break from practice together as well." Kuroko stated with his usual monotone, and returned his attention to his clipboard. Murasakibara pouted at her crush-slash-love interest's denseness. She was _clearly_ (but not clearly enough) asking him on a date. Everyone else observing the scene smiled with smugness or relief. Aomine took that opportunity to approach the two.

"Yo, Tetsu! That's great! Does that mean you'll treat me to lunch?" Aomine swung an arm around Kuroko's shoulders while subtly bumping her hip against Murasakibara's, telling her to buzz off. The tall center was not pleased.

Aomine Daiki, Teikou's girl's basketball power forward. She had a masculine build for a girl, but one could clearly see she was a girl regardless. Aomine has slightly broader shoulders and, rather than 'scrawny, bones for arms' as she noted, Aomine had subtle muscles to her body. She has tanned skin and short, blackish-blue hair. Living up to her name, she was always a tomboy. Rowdy, adventurous, troublemaker. She enjoyed two things in life: basketball and Kuroko Tetsuya. She'd always love the sport, especially as a child (it kept her out of trouble). But when she met 'Tetsu', she worked hard for the sport every day. When she first met him on a local court at night playing by himself (poorly, might she add) she couldn't help but feel curious and gave him a run for his money. He wasn't very good, but he had passion, and she liked that in a guy. Her small crush evolved into pure love as she continued to spend time with him and that was how she ended up in the predicament she was currently in.

"Aomine-san, please get off me. You're sweaty." Kuroko said, lifting her hand off his shoulder.

"Aw, Tetsu. Come on, one hug shouldn't hurt. A kiss would be great too!"

"Please stop joking, Aomine-san, and go take a shower." Kuroko blew his whistle to signal the end of practice and for everyone to get cleaned and go home. "Good job, today. I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow." Although there was no enthusiasm in his voice, Kuroko genuinely meant it. "Kise-san. You're on cleaning duty."

Kise whined. "Kurokocchiiii! Could you please wait for me?" Kise asked with a puppy dog look on her face with her hands cupped together.

"Of course, Kise-san. But please don't take too long. We're going to Maji together, remember?" Kuroko asked, meaning everyone. Kise's expression brightened momentarily at the word 'together' but immediately deflated when she remembered that it wouldn't be a date.

Kise Risa is teikou's girl's basketball team's small forward. Although a basketball player at Teikou, she's most known as a part-time model. Kise has long, wavy blonde hair that falls to the smalls of her back and a fair figure to accompany it. Her every being is one every girl envies for and her body and face are what guys lust for. She is always the attention of the room and never wavering in her flawless, practiced smile. So what would make her fall for Kuroko? After school, one day, as she was opening her locker for her shoes, a confession letter fell out. Kise was always a big romanticist, so a confession letter in her shoe locker sent her heart flying in anticipation; she prayed every night for her prince charming. Opening the letter and for it to be from one of her horny fanboys who constantly harassed her for 'one night' sent her blood boiling. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she collapsed from disappointment. _'Is this all I'm good for? A pretty face and a good lay is all guys think of me! I'm so sick and tired of it when all I really want-' _Kuroko showed up that moment to wipe the tears away and solve her troubles with one of his smiles. That night, she resolved one thing. She need a prince when she had her knight.

"Umm... Kise-san?" A toneless voice snapped her out of her memory. She looked up to see Kuroko watching her holding the last of the basketballs in the middle of the court with the cart. "If you could, would you please put away the cart and lock up? I'll be waiting for you outside the gym-" '_He'll be waiting for me...'_ she thought dreamily. "with everyone else." and her fantasy was crushed.

"Eh-heh... of course." And the two parted ways from each other for the time being.

At the door of the gymnasium stood the very captain and vice-captain of Teikou's girl's basketball team.

Midorima Shino is teikou's very own shooting guard and vice-captain. Her accuracy and shooting range on the court rivals anyone. Having long green hair became tiring for her to manage during the day, so it is braided to the side, for her convenience. Midorima, like Kise, has model-like looks. The only difference is that Midorima's beauty has a more elegant undertone to it as opposed to Kise's 'cute' act. And unlike the others, she didn't like Kuroko when they first met. That was a long time ago. They gradually grew out of those childish behaviours (more so on Midorima's tsundere behalf) and she opened her eyes to what Kuroko really is like. She'd like to believe that she knows him best, that maybe those small smiles he ever rarely shows were exclusively for her. However, she'd never let him know that and it's not like she knew him as well as she'd like to hope. That's why she watched over him for years as a friend. She slowly, but surely, fell for the little things Kuroko did and eventually fell for him altogether. But, as stated before, she'd never let him know that.

"Tetsuya, hurry up. Just leave that fool behind." A retort could be heard from the back. "Asami is getting impatient." Akashi stated. She walked up to Kuroko, held his hand and pulled demandingly. "And do you honestly want to keep me waiting?" A warning that did not phase Kuroko in the least bit. He only shook off her hand and walked to the girl's changing room door.

Tap. Tap. "Kise-san. Please hur-" And the door flew open to Kise flinging herself into Kuroko's waiting arms.

… Or thats what she would like to have happened.

"Oi! We heard a crash and...to run here... with Kise on- KISE, YOU BITCH!" Aomine shouted with her teeth bared. Aomine's hands were balled into fists at her sides as her shoulders tensed.

Kise was sprawled on top of Kuroko when the force of her tackle-hug was too much for him. In the heat of the moment of the fall, Kuroko had wrapped his arms around her in a protective manner to ensure her safety.

"Boo~ Ri-chin's so sly." Murasakibara said with a slight pout, her arms crossed across her chest childishly.

Midorima was blushing at how "suggestive" their position seemed. '_I-it's not like I want him to hold me like that, dammit!_' Unconsciously, her left arm rose and clutched at her right arm. She averted her eyes at the scene as the corners of her mouth dropped.

"Eh? Ehh? EEEEHHHHH!" Kise's face immediately grew warm at how Kuroko's arms were embracing her around her shoulders. His warmth and scent wrapped around her had clouded her mind and she was thanking the heavens. Reality hit her when she realized the possibility of Kuroko being injured.

"Risa..." A menacing aura shrouded Akashi. "If Tetsuya is in the slightest bit injured, your training will be increased more than it already has been..."

"Ah, it's alright." Kuroko reassured everyone. He carefully helped himself up, then offered a hand to Kise. "You're not hurt, right?" Kise shook her head and took his hand. After she got up, she brushed herself off. "I'm glad." Kuroko's smile brightened the room, no matter how small it was.

* * *

_NG (Omake):_

_Kuroko's smile lit up the entire gymnasium. Everyone's kokoro went 'doki doki'._

"_WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" Aomine shouted whilst clutching at her chest in shock. _

"_K-Kurokocchi..." Kise passed out from either momentary heart failure or the nosebleed threatening to come out._

_Midorima collapsed to the ground, grasping the front of her shirt. "I-I think that was too much for my heart to handle..." She couldn't deny the smile nor the blush adorning her face._

_Akashi was frozen solid. _

_Murasakibara smiled with a light blush on her cheeks. "Kuro-chin! So cute!" She mumbled through the five pocky sticks in her mouth._


	2. Reminiscence of Teikou pt 2 fixed

_A/N: Okay, crossing my fingers that I can actually get through with this story without abandoning it. This is only half general and half Midorima's time with Kuroko. Next up is Akashi! And a special, momentary guest appearance!_

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

They were eating a meal of Maji at the fast food restaurant and everything was peaceful for the time being. Kuroko sat between Akashi and Kise and across from Aomine. Murasakibara sat across from Kise and Midorima sat across from Akashi. At the moment, Kise had just gotten off the phone with her modeling manager about another shoot she turned down. It became the current hot topic of the group.

"It's amazing how your manager hasn't chewed you out yet for ditching a shoot." Aomine says in between bites of her teriyaki burger.

"Aomine-san, please swallow before you speak." Kuroko spoke with a hint of exasperation, as if he's done it numerous times before. He sipped at the milkshake, his only meal, before him.

"Kuroko. That won't be enough to suffice you when you're in your growing stage." Midorima's scolding continued. Kuroko only stared attentively at her without any complaint. He knew that she was only looking out for his well being, of course. When Midorima noticed Kuroko's attention on her, she couldn't fight off the blush from her face.

"Tetsuya." Akashi called out from Kuroko's right. He silently looked over at her. "You and I have some important issues to discuss _together_." Akashi was careful to be sure that the emphasis on 'together' was heard. The other occupants of the table didn't have the heart to glare at their ruthless captain. "We need to talk about our trip _together_." again, emphasizing on 'together'.

"Ah. That's correct. It's almost time for our annual trip to the training camp." Kuroko remembered.

"Is it at that nice place with the onsen like last year? I liked that place. They had really good food." Murasakibara reminisced with some drool threatening to fall from her mouth.

"Asami, close your mouth."

"Ne, ne! Kurokocchi will be with us again this year, right?" Kise asked, cutely. With anyone but Kuroko, it was all an act. However, with Kuroko, her "cuteness" was different; less rehearsed and more natural.

Aomine thought differently. "Bahahahahaha! What's up with the 'ne, ne' shit?" She laughed while trying to hold down her food.

"Aomine, calm down! We're in public and you're being far too loud." Midorima demanded. Really, she needed to know some decency!

"Aomine-san. Your face..." Kuroko reached over the table and wiped off crumbs of bread off the side of her mouth. "Really, what did I tell you?" And with that, he licked the crumbs off his thumb without considering the implications he set off.

Aomine was blushing off her tanned skin, stuttering an incomprehensible language. Kise held her nose with a now bloodied tissue. Midorima dropped her head at the sight with her hands balled up into fists on the table and began to shake. Akashi had a slight flush on her face. Murasakibara was sent off to her dreamland of Kuroko doing similar things to her.

Kuroko looked around his surroundings, confused. "Um... Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You did everything right. So right, it hurts..." Aomine managed to let out with extreme difficulty. Kuroko only grew more confused but shook it off as something he'd never understand as a male and finished the last sip of his milkshake.

"Is everyone done? I'd like to get you all home before it gets late." He commented. It appeared that everyone was finished eating, if the near empty trays were an indicator. Everyone nodded and prepare to leave.

"Kurokocchi~!" Kise clung to Kuroko's arm and held it tightly against her chest, much to the dismay of the others.

"Yes, yes Kise-san. We're almost at the station." It was a daily routine for Kuroko to drop off Kise, Murasakibara, and Akashi to the train station and see them off. Aomine's house was en route to Kuroko's apartment complex and Midorima lived in the same building.

Akashi's eyes had a slight gleam to them. "Tetsuya. Would you like to stay over this weekend? My parents were hoping to see you again." And it was true. Akashi's parents were very fond of Kuroko and always insisted she'd marry him, much to her delight. In fact, the Kiseki no Sedai families had a miniature feud over Kuroko.

"Alright. I'll consider it. Thank you very much, Akashi-san."

Aomine took this chance to cling to Kuroko's other arm. "Well if that's the case, Kuroko should stay over my house tonight! We can stay up and do tons of _things_ together!" Of course, there were double meanings behind her words.

"Waahh~ Dai-chin is a carnivorous woman!" Murasakibara exclaimed indifferently while clutching at her bag of snacks. Although her face was slightly apathetic, her eyes held a bit of annoyance at Aomine's invitation.

"That is true. We have plenty to do together..." Kuroko muttered. It did not go unheard by the girls though. Aomine, slightly kidding in her invitation, blushed furiously. Kise began to tear up at the thought of Kuroko losing his innocence. Akashi, Murasakibara, and Midorima remained silent, waiting for the final blow.

"I need to tutor you in many subjects. Ah! But you have Momoi-kun to tutor you as well. Another night, then." And there it goes. Everyone but Aomine couldn't hold in their laughter/smirk.

* * *

The sun's rays could barely be seen beyond the horizon of buildings as the night began to envelope the sky. Midorima and Kuroko walked side-by-side together towards their apartment building in blissful silence. Their time together with the rest of the Kiseki members was filled to the brim with noises and cheerful conversations (and munching on Murasakibara's behalf). The silence between the two childhood friends was blissful.

"Midorima-san was very silent today. Is something the matter?" Kuroko asked with genuine concern. Midorima looked to her right to see him looking at her with intent in his eyes.

Now that she thought about it, they were about the same height. She was fairly tall for her age and Kuroko did not hit the peak of his growing stage yet. She was thankful for it, for it gave her easy access to observe his face more easily. And yes. She was quite bothered with how everyone expressed their affection towards Kuroko with ease while she was the only one with great difficulty expressing herself honestly. It was unfair that she could only push him away when she meant the exact opposite.

She sighed. "Idiot, it doesn't concern you!" She lied. '_Idiot! I'm doing it again! I'm the real idiot!_' Midorima looked away from Kuroko to avoid eye contact. Her grip tightened on her lucky item.

She was about to run off until Kuroko called out to her. "Midorima-san. Please wait." She stopped just five feet away from him. Her heart raced when she could hear him getting closer. When he was just behind her, he boldly confessed, "Midorima-san. You don't have to behave like that. We have known each other for many years and you're still not very honest with yourself. I understand if Midorima-san just has trouble doing so in a large group, but I just want Midorima-san to know that it's okay to tell me what's on your mind. You are my precious friend, after all." Kuroko declared so suddenly. Midorima was awestruck at his sudden confession. "So tell me, Midorima-san, what is the matter?" Kuroko attempted once again.

At this point, they were standing in place in a nearby neighbourhood with Kuroko standing behind her at a comfortable distance, waiting for her reply. Midorima faced the ground with her eyes hidden beneath her bangs to hide the tears threatening to fall; her glasses began to fog up. The blush monopolized her face and even her neck and ears. '_Its no use... I really have fallen for him.'_

She bit her lower lip, thinking about what to say to him.

"T-Te-Tets-Tetsu...ya..." Midorima stuttered.

"Yes, Midorima-san?"

"C-Could y...ou call me by m-my given... Name...?" Slowly, but surely, she turned around to face him and look him in the eyes again. "I would like that... Very... Much."

There was a long, anxious pause. Kuroko used that time for Midorima to calm down and let her face return to its natural colour.

"Of course, Shino-san." He smiled lightly at her. '_I can only hope that that smile was specially reserved for me._'

The sound of her name (although accompanied with an honorific) made her blush return with full force. She decided to be a little bolder with the situation.

"And... Can we start ho-holding h-h-hands on the way back?" Midorima began to choke up while asking something she deemed daring. Luckily Kuroko didn't think too much into it.

"Yes, Shino-san." Kuroko began walking, but before he continued ahead of Midorima, he held out a hand for her to take, waiting for her to accept it.

In her head, Midorima debated whether to only hold his hand, or lace their fingers together as well. She took a deep, long breath and settled for the former.

Their walk continued and Midorima gradually cooled down enough to calm her racing heart. Though, there was no way the light blush on her face would go away anytime soon.

"But honestly, Shino-san. What is the matter? Your face suddenly went bright red and your breathing was really fast. Are you running a fever?"

"..."

"...Shino-san?"

"IDIOT! I DON'T WANT YOU TO DO ANY OF THIS IN FRONT OF THE OTHERS! D-DO YOU HEAR ME? IT'S TOO EMBARRASSING LIKE THIS...!" Kuroko could only blink expressionlessly at her outburst.

'_...Very tsundere_.' Even with Midorima's sudden tantrum, she has yet to release her hold on his hand. They spent the rest of the walk in silence while Midorima continued to fume.

Once they reached the apartment building and called for an elevator, Midorima, with her head finally cooled off, asked, "Tet...suya?" The name still very foreign to her on her tongue. "Have you decided where you want to go for high school?" Kuroko looked at her and took a minute to think. Midorima anxiously awaited an answer. Her grip on his hand tightened as they walked into the elevator that finally arrived.

"No. I'm still unsure. Where is Shino-san planning to attend?" Kuroko asked politely.

"I guess Shuutoku would be nice. They're a pretty traditional school."

"Very fitting for Shino-san." They arrived in Midorima's floor.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow...?" She asked with hope evident in her voice, even if she already knew the answer.

"Yes. I will see Shino-san tomorrow." He relinquished her hand from his, much to her disappointment and waved goodbye.

She waved back, but once the elevator door closed, she stood frozen in place. It took a ding from the elevator to snap her out of her daze.

Midorima ran home, closed the door to her room, and collapsed on her bed, completely exhausted from that one hour she had alone with Kuroko.

A thought hit her. '_Why didn't I invite him to go to Shuutoku with me!_'

Her lucky item left on the foyer of her apartment, forgotten.

* * *

_A/N: thank you to frozen-requiem for pointing out the problem with the formatting. I'm working from iPad so there gonna be some problems every now and then. It's all fixed now!_


	3. Reminiscence of Teikou pt 3

_A/N: third chapter! I'm actually keeping up! Anyways, the first part I use Midorima's given name because 'Midorima' IS a surname after all. Saying that would mean that I'm referring to anyone in the family, hahah (made this mistake irl while visiting family in Asia a long time ago otl)._

_It's pretty difficult to write for Kuroko at times. After a dialogue, I just don't know what to put for him because it's usually gonna be the same, monotonous or expressionless. kurobby, y u gotta make it difficult? OTL; I'm just gonna introduce Akashi already. I can't wait a couple of weeks just for them to go into his character. And not sure if this will be important, but here are their classes: 2-1 (Kuroko and Akashi), 2-2 (Midorima), 2-3 (Kise and Momoi), and 2-5 (Murasakibara and Aomine). (for the record, there is no class 4. Why? Because in Chinese and Japanese, the pronunciation in both languages sound like 'death'. Not sure if this applies everywhere but I'm going with it.)_

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

Shino was in the process of tying her bow when the doorbell rang. Her mother answered it and, from the the tone of her voice, she knew Kuroko arrived to pick her up.

"Tetsuya! It's good to see you! How are you? How is your mother?" Shino's mother doted on the small boy. She was an aged woman and resembled Shino very much. The only difference was that Her mother's hair had a more pastel green colour as opposed to Shino's solid green.

"Is that Kuroko?" Her father called out from the living room. His head popped out from the hallway and he waved. Her father was once very tsundere towards Kuroko as well but opened up to him really quickly when he saw the potential Kuroko had as a son-in-law.

Kuroko bowed politely at the pair. "Hello Midorima-san. My mother and I are fine. She is excited to go shopping with you today." Kuroko informed the woman politely.

"Ah, as kind as ever, yes you are! A little birdy in this building told me that she saw you and Shino holding hands! Is this true?" She interrogated.

"_Mother_!" Shino rushed out her room with her bag and lucky item, crowbar, ran past the kitchen island whilst grabbing a toast and shoving it in her mouth, and ran out the door while grabbing Kuroko's shirt collar in the process.

"As tsun-tsun as usual. Just like you, dear."

"I-I am not!" Blush.

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ you came to pick me up! I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of waiting in the lobby and it is completely unnecessary for you to show up at my apartment like that!" Midorima complained as they walked out the apartment building together.

"I understand, Shino-san. I will keep that in mind for next week. Also, am I supposed to hold your hand on the way to school as well?" Kuroko asked curiously (not like it was shown on his face).

"O-of course not! That only applies to when we're on our way home! Its not like I want everyone to be misunderstood! I just think... It's too early for that!"

"Understood."

* * *

During lunch.

* * *

"Kurokocchi!" Kise slid the door of class 2-1 opened with the force of their school's wrestling team. As expected, the males of the class directed their full attention to the gorgeous model at the door of their classroom, with the exception of Kuroko. He was engrossed in his conversation with Akashi that he could only glance up at Kise, bow his head in acknowledgment, and continue listening to Akashi speak. Kise pouted, and as she was about to make a dive for him, Midorima smacked her on the head and walked ahead of her. Class 2-1 was a fairly small class in comparison to the others, so the amount of available desks were fair.

Kise rubbed at the spot she was smacked and sulked towards the growing group at the back of the room. At the same time, Aomine and Murasakibara entered as well, gathered some desks, and formed a large table to accommodate their seating arrangements.

"That'd be a good idea. Oh, and Tetsuya." Akashi called. Kuroko's eyebrows rose a millimeter, wordlessly, allowing Akashi to continue. "Say 'ah'" Akashi held up her chopsticks to Kuroko's mouth. The dining utensils held a piece of Tamagoyaki. He felt a bit skeptical of Akashi's motivation for feeding him at first but ate it with some reluctance.

"Akashi! Not fair!"

"Boo, Sei-chin. Kuro-chin! Here." Murasakibara shoved a cracker snack into Kuroko's mouth without warning. Although shocked, he slowly chewed the snack. "Does it taste good, Kuro-chin?"

Kuroko pulled the snack out of his mouth, swallowed, and nodded. "Yes, Murasakibara-san. However, I would appreciate it if you would not try tha-mmph!" A chunk of Anpan was suddenly shoved in his mouth as well as a small straw.

"Kurokocchi! Try a bite of my Anpan!" "Tetsu! Here! A drink to hold it down!" Kise and Aomine said in perfect unison. They were both sitting on the grouped desks directly in front of him. Kuroko's mouth was currently filled with bread and a straw sticking out the side. Even in his current situation, he remained expressionless. The two girls looked at each other with heated glares.

"Asami." Akashi silently commanded.

"Got it~" Murasakibara picked up the two girls from the collars of their shirts and pulled them off the table. Kuroko pulled the food and straw from his mouth and looked for a napkin to wipe the filling off his mouth with. Meanwhile, Kise and Aomine were receiving a brief warning from Akashi outside the hallway with Murasakibara holding them in place.

Midorima appeared at his side and wiped at his face with her handkerchief. "Honestly, the things you get yourself into." She muttered as she wiped at his face.

"Thank you Midorima-san." A gentle smile formed on Kuroko's mouth and Midorima unconsciously mirrored him with her eyes softening at him. It was the picturesque scene of a couple.

Until the door flew open. Midorima jumped and immediately went into tsundere mode.

"I-I would hope I can wash this off tonight! I wouldn't want your bacteria to be all over this!" She blushed furiously at how they were almost seen.

"Of course." Blank look.

* * *

End of Lunch.

* * *

A note fell on his desk.

**Stay over tonight as well. **

It was in Akashi's script handwriting. Kuroko wrote below the message and passed it back to her.

**I thought I was only staying Saturday night?**

A note was quickly passed back.

**I'm saying that you are going to stay tonight and tomorrow. **

Kuroko sweat dropped a bit at the note. It was a demand rather than a suggestion or question. Oh well, not like he expected less from Teikou's basketball captain.

**Alright. I'll go home and collect my things and I'll go to your house. **

**Why don't I just stay with you the whole way? **

Kuroko thought about this a bit and realized why.

**I have something I need to tend to at home and it would be boring for you to wait for me. **

Akashi read the note and her expression soured a bit. '_I can never be bored with you, Tetsuya._' But she did not object. Of all the people she did not want to be too demanding on, it was Kuroko. She knew he wouldn't be scared off, and he would confront her if she went to far than just give up, but she didn't want to risk it. Kuroko was a very unreadable guy at times.

To be honest, the feared captain of Teikou's basketball team did have a soft spot, but it was only reserved for Kuroko. In her first year of middle school, she had her haircut for convenience sake. The only reason she grew it out, whether she admits it or not, was for him. She initially respected him . She was unsure when or how she fell for him, but she did know that she did not plan on losing to anyone. Akashi Seika did not lose and she definitely does not intend to lose Kuroko.

**Alright. **

* * *

While Kuroko packed his necessities, his phone began to vibrate. He picked it up to a text message from Akashi.

**Be here by 6. Mother and father wants you to join us for dinner. **

Another text.

**Also, call me by my given name tonight. We don't want to cause any confusion. **

He could feel a sudden wave of deja vu overcome him at the last message but brushed it off. He picked up his duffel bag and walked out his room.

"Mother. I am going to the Akashi residence now." He informed his mother. Wordlessly, she merely smiled and nodded.

As Kuroko walked past a nearby court, he noticed a girl practicing alone. He looked up and noticed the sun gradually setting. Following his instincts, he walked towards the and watched her play.

Her style was very similar to Aomine's, offensive-like skills. She had the same passion as Aomine, if not more. She had dark red hair tied up into a high ponytail and peculiar eyebrows that suited her very well. Her eyes looked fierce whilst she played, as well.

When she finally grew tired minutes later, she walked towards Kuroko's direction and picked up her water bottle that was next to him. The girl blinked once and Kuroko suddenly appeared in her vision. She spat her water and choked a little from the shock.

"When the hell did you get there!" She half shouted and coughed. Kuroko handed her a handkerchief to wipe off the excess water.

"A while." She stared at him in disbelief but he ignored her incredulous stare. "You play very well." He complimented.

She blushed in embarrassment at the sudden compliment and averted her eyes. "Th-thanks."

"You should go home. It's getting late." Kuroko pointed out. She looked up and realized that he was right.

"Oh shit! I lost track of time! Thanks!" The girl hurriedly gathered her items together.

"You're welcome. I'm off too. Goodbye." He bowed politely and walked in the direction of the train station to go to Akashi's house.

Only to have the girl following behind him. His suspicions were confirmed when he turned around and noticed the girl at a distance behind him. She saw him notice her and blushed.

"It's not what you think! My house is this way! I'm seriously not stalking you or anything!" The girl explained, clearly distressed over being possibly accused of being a stalker.

"Alright." It put Kuroko at mind a little bit to know that she wouldn't be going home alone at this time of the evening, even if he was indirectly accompanying her.

As he neared the station, he heard her call out to him. Kuroko turned to see her arms clutching at her school bag in front of her with her legs tensed and clenched together.

"Thanks again for telling me the time. I'm... Really grateful." She bowed awkwardly as if she was not used to doing so and looked back up at him. Kuroko only nodded, waved, and walked off.

'_I wonder if I will meet that girl again._' He really admired the potential she had as a basketball player.

* * *

"Tetsuya."

Sigh. "Yes, Seika-san?"

It was a routine of their's. Kuroko would insist on sleeping on the extra futon instead of the bed with Seika, much to the family's disappointment, and she would wake him in the middle of the night by sneaking into the futon with him. At the moment, she was hugging his torso from behind.

"Turn around." An order.

Kuroko sighed again but obliged to her order. He turned in her arms to face her. He was sleeping in basketball shorts and a simple, white t-shirt. But that didn't stop her from enjoying what she could.

She reached out for his free hand and interlocked their fingers. The red haired girl dug her face into the crook of his neck. She allowed herself to grow drunk from his scent alone.

"Akashi-san. I'm feeling quite uncomfortable like this." Kuroko told her silently. It was probably 1 AM and her parents were already asleep. He didn't want to wake them; it would be rude. Plus, they were very close together under the sheets. Seika wrapped her arms tightly around is torso, allowing her body to be flushed against his, and her legs were entangled with his. He could feel her breath on his neck and it was making him warmer than necessary.

"Are you sure you're just not feeling a bit uncomfortable down there?" She shifted her leg to settle between his thighs. "And I thought I told you to call me 'Seika', Tetsuya." As if silently punishing him, she pressed her thigh against his crotch more firmly. When she looked up to see his expression, his face was still void of emotion.

"I don't feel it appropriate to call you 'Seika' in this situation. Also, I apologize for my problem down there. I am male, after all." Kuroko explained to her bluntly.

It was silently for some minutes, Kuroko mentally willing his member to die down and Akashi wondering if he was super human for maintaining such composure at such a time.

Seika sighed. "Alright. I'll stop for tonight. However, Tetsuya, I want something in return for relinquishing you."

Kuroko remained silent for a minute to think about what to give her for freeing him. An idea hit him. "Okay, you can let go now."

Seika grinned sleepily. "You better not disappoint, Tetsuya." She retracted her legs from his and adjusted her arms to where they were only on his chest.

Kuroko took his free hand and placed it on The crown of her head and stroked gently.

Shocked at his choice of action, she blushed lightly. It was very Kuroko-like, but she didn't expect it. With a faint smile, she nuzzled his neck one more time.

"Good night, Tetsuya."

"Good night, Seika-san."

Kuroko's last thought of the nights were along the lines of '_Akashi-san is much more touchy and affectionate than expected. How strange_.'

* * *

_NG (omake): _

_While Kise and Aomine remained silent (and petrified) for the remaining of the lunch period, Momoi Natsuki took that moment to enter the classroom to join his friends for lunch._

_"Tetsu-kun!" He shouted loudly and proudly. Like with Kise, all the girls-with the exception on Kiseki-directed their attention to Momoi with looks of admiration. The boys were envious of him when they saw how well-endowed he was when he was changing in the locker room for gym one day. It was quite impressive but disheartening for the fellow males. __Despite his pink hair, Momoi was fairly handsome in many aspects. _

_Momoi scanned the room and detected Kuroko sitting with the rest of Kiseki. semi grinned wildly and ran to the smaller boy. _

_"Tetsu-kun! I missed you so much!" He declared suddenly. Momoi latched himself onto Kuroko and snuggled against him like a big dog._

_"Ah. Momoi-kun. It's good to see you." Blunt. _

_Momoi 'tsk'ed at him. "Geez. What a weak response." Kiseki looked on with curiosity. Was it their imagination or was Momoi closer to Kuroko than usual?_

_The whole class looked at the pair as well. Kuroko felt his head tilting upwards by a hand cupping his chin. "Momoi-kun..." To everyone watching them, Kuroko sounded shy. However, it was only their delusions clouding their six senses. _

_"I missed Tetsu-kun very much." Momoi leaned closer towards his face with a sly smirk on his face. _

_The entire fujoshi community screamed. The very realistic BL moment that took place during lunch. _

_As for Kiseki? Well, Momoi sported a bruise on his arm, two red hand prints on his cheeks as well as a small cut from who-knows-where, and a ringing in his ears. _

_It was worth it._

* * *

_A/N: I loved writing the Akashi scene. I can do so much with what little character I know but that just gives me an excuse to go all out, heheh. Oh, and welcome our special guest! I think it was mentioned in the kurobasu timeline thing that he's still in the states during middle school. But I'm just gonna...twist it up a bit._

_I think I really pushed my limit with this chapter a little bit. It's making me consider changing the rating (/ \);; please let me know I should up the rating or not._

_Reviews are appreciated!_


	4. Filler: Just Kiss the Girl

_A/N: If Naruto can do filler episodes, then dammit! I am doing filler chapters! ...No, I'm kidding. This idea just came to me, and it's not necessarily a filler chapter, but it strays from the story line of 'Reminiscence of Teikou'. (lol whut story line?) Everyone has different text message format because everyone has different phones? Male!Momoi is basically Kise in this fic. LOL_

_OMG! So, I wrote this a while back and I'm just waiting for my friend to reply so I can post it right? I look in the Kurobasu fanfic archive and **Skittles24-7** already wrote something very similar (I really recommend reading it. It's titled **For the Love of My Milkshakes**). It really is coincidental that this and that story are very similar. I honestly had no intention of stealing the idea and this was already long written. It was initially saved in case I was busy with school and took too long to write, that way I had something to deliver you guys without taking 6 months to update again.  
_

_tl;dr: I had no intentions of copying **Skittles24-7**'s idea. It was purely coincidental and I hope it doesn't cause any misunderstanding. _

_Wwwwwww is lie a form of lol._

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Tetsuya's not here today?" Midorima was genuinely shocked. The green haired girl began to worry ('_that I was gonna be late for school! Not about him!_') when her childhood friend did not wait at the lobby for her. She took the elevator again to his flat to confront him about being late only to hear that he was not even home since the night before.

"Yes. It seems my husband's father collapsed last night and Tetsuya went with him to go see him. He called early this morning to tell me that they arrived in Yokohama. I've alerted the school already. I'm sorry you came all the way here just to meet him." Blush. "But he should be back by tomorrow, so you just run along." Midorima nodded at the petite woman, bowed, and left.

At the meeting spot with the rest of Kiseki, it was instantly noticed that Kuroko was not there.

"Midoricchi! Where's Kurokocchi?" Kise asked, obviously distressed.

Before Midorima could answer, Aomine answered immediately. "Tetsu's in Yokohama. He said he'll be back tomorrow, if not tonight." Midorima shot Aomine a dirty look.

"How do you know, Daiki?"

"I was texting him almost all last night. See." She took out her phone and opened up her conversation with Kuroko.

**Tetsu **

**22:34:That's nice, Aomine-san, but it really is rude of you to do that to your brother. **

**Replied: **

**22:35: (wwww) Can't help it if he's a big brat. Kids need to be put in their place! **

**23:57: Tetsu? You alright there? **

**Tetsu **

**00:00: Yes, sorry, Aomine-san. I will have to talk to you later. I am on my way to Yokohama right now to see my grandfather. I apologize for not notifying you sooner.**

"Boo~ Mine-chin was talking to Kuro-chin for too long~!" Murasakibara pouted through the many pocky sticks she had in her mouth.

"No fair! I want to text Kurokocchi all night too!" Kise began crying crocodile tears. She took out her phone with a swipe of her hand and immediately sent a message.

"Who are you texting, Kise?" Midorima asked.

"Don't tell me you're texting him, you dope!" Aomine tried to snatch the blonde's phone from her, but Kise managed to see through her attack and side-stepped her, while texting. She pressed 'send'.

"Risa. Quit fooling around. Tetsuya's probably busy with-" Kise's phone began vibrating.

"He replied~! He wished me a good day at school today~!" Kise sighed blissfully. Everyone was silently envious of her.

The first to act was Akashi. The red head whipped out her phone and sent a text message to Kuroko at light speed.

Midorima and Aomine followed suit. Murasakibara was took her sweet time consuming her morning snack before taking action. They anxiously waited for his reply and slowly, but surely, they began to come in slowly.

**To Seika:**

**From Tetsuya: **

**Thank you, Seika-san. I hope to see you soon and everyone else tomorrow as well.**

**From Tetsuya:**

**Subject: Re: You better be back soon, idiot! **

**I appreciate your concern, Shino-san. Please take care today.**

**Tetsu **

**8:02: Aomine-san. Did you encourage everyone to send me all these messages? If so, I appreciate it. But please do not flaunt your messages to everyone.**

Midorima and Akashi were purely content with their messages and their moods were brightened. Aomine scowled at her's, but softened at how Kuroko read her so well without even being there.

Murasakibara took out her phone and dialed Kuroko's number. No one noticed until they faintly heard his voice.

"_Hello?_"

"Kuro-chin! I hope you're doing well! If you have time, could you shop for some snacks available there but not here~?" She said sheepishly into the receiver.

"_I'm not sure if that's possible, Asami. I am coming back in time for practice, so that would be a little impossible."_

"Mmm... That's okay, Kuro-chin! As long as you come back, I'll be very happy."

"_Thank you for the call, but was it really necessary?_"

"_I just wanted to hear Kuro-chin's voice~ I miss you~ Bye~_" She said in a sing-song voice and hung up. Everyone else looked at her with pure shock, angry at themselves for not thinking of doing that in the first place. Before any of them began dialing, their phones went off simultaneously. From Kuroko.

**Don't call.**

* * *

Lunch

* * *

"I wonder what it would be like to kiss Kurokocchi..." Kise suddenly blurted out. She was leaning against the table with her elbows supporting her weight. The rest of Kiseki plus Momoi looked at her curiously and imagined it.

"Wh-Why would I w-w-want to ki...ss him!" Midorima stuttered.

'_So tsundere..._' Everyone thought at the same time.

"I fear for the health of the fujoshis if I even get close to him." Momoi dread the thought. Ever since lunch from a couple of days ago, tons of girls have obsessively asked him about his relationship with Kuroko. "If I have to hear another 'kyaa kyaa', I'm going to lose it."

"I've already kissed Kuro-chin though~" A muffled response, but they could still make it out. The entire Kiseki snapped their attention to Murasakibara and glowered. They were absolutely livid. "It's a shame it wasn't on the mouth though~" They calmed down. By a margin. A small margin.

Momoi thoughtlessly suggested an idea. "Hey, how about when he gets back, you all see who can get a kiss out of him?"

Akashi lightened up at the proposal. "I like that... I'm sure he wouldn't have any objections."

Aomine nodded in agreement. "Alright. Whoever can kiss Kuroko the longest wins!

"Wait... Dai-chan... I didn't mean-" Momoi was cut off.

"Alright~ When should we start the contest?" Kise was all pumped up and excited.

"Girls... I wasn't being serious when I brought that u-" Ignored.

"He said he's coming back today for practice~ I can't wait to kiss Kuro-chin so let's do it then~"

Midorima pushed up her glasses to hide her blush, but it was clearly evident from the redness of her ears. "I'm in."

"Midorima not you too!" Momoi smacked his head against his palm in dismay. '_Kuroko, I am so sorry._' And he said his prayers for Kuroko.

* * *

After School Practice

* * *

Kiseki eagerly awaited the arrival of their beloved coach. He was late, but it didn't matter. Kuroko would uphold his promise to arrive, late or not. The other second, and third string members decided to take sanctuary from the group of girls in the second and third gyms. Not that they minded. The Kiseki girls would've liked for the first string members to be gone too, but it was Kuroko's orders that they stayed to practice.

After thirty minutes, Kuroko arrived.

"Sorry I'm late." He sported a striped t-shirt and simple black track pants. On his neck was not the usual silver-coloured whistle, but a baby blue plastic whistle. Murasakibara was delighted. "Okay, I would like for Midorima-san, Kise-san, and Aomine-san to sit out this practice match." Kuroko called out the teams that would be playing against one another. It was a 5-on-5 match. "This will be on half-court. On the other court, I would like for Kise-san to play one-on-one against Adachi-san." Kuroko handed his clipboard to Momoi, who stood next to him the whole time. "Momoi will explain your drills." And with that, Kuroko walked to the sidelines to begin observing the girls' abilities, flaws and improvements.

* * *

_**Round 1**_

Aomine acted first.

"Tetsu! What's up!" She strolled up to him and slung an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. Her face was in close proximity with Kuroko's.

"Aomine-san. Please don't stand so close." He was busy jotting down notes. The tanned teen wasn't going to take that.

"Aw, Tetsu. I'm not sweaty this time. So, you can finally give me that kiss you owe me." She countered. Before Kuroko could retort, she grabbed a hold of his shirt, pulled him closer, and planted a kiss.

Momoi, from the sidelines, saw his childhood friend actually go through with the bet. Midorima's glasses cracked slightly.

Akashi and Murasakibara, instead of taking their game seriously, watched with disdain. Kise cried when she heard kiss and accidentally knocked herself and Adachi over.

In response to being kissed, Kuroko just stood there. Aomine took it a step further and licked at his bottom lip. Before Kuroko had a chance to properly respond, a ball was hurdled at Aomine. Kuroko broke the kiss and deflected it with his famous Ignite Pass. When Aomine realized what had happened, she looked at the perpetrator of that throw and found an innocent looking Momoi.

"Momoi-kun. Please be careful. We don't want any accidents to happen." Monotonous, with a hint of gratitude.

"Natsuki! You asshole!" Aomine's entire being trembled as she picked up the offending basketball and chased her childhood friend out the gym with it.

'_You're very welcome, Tetsu-kun!'_

_**Time: 16.18 seconds.**_

* * *

_**Round 2**_

"Kurokocchi! I finished my match!" Kise cheered as she bounced towards Kuroko.

"Alright, thank you for informing me, Kise-san. Adachi-san, you can rest before your next one-on-one." Adachi bowed slightly at Kuroko and left for the benches for a long break. Kuroko turned to Kise. "Good job, Kise. Your form was a little off today, but you did well." Kuroko praised monotonously.

"Do I get a reward Kurokocchi?"

"Eh? Well?" Kuroko wasn't sure what to do. He settled with awkwardly patting her head. She pouted.

"Not like that~!" Then her expression suddenly turned to something more seductive. "A little more like this." She pulled him down by the shirt collar and kissed him.

Kuroko pushed on her shoulders gently, much to her disappointment. "Kise-san. Please stop. You're sweaty. I suggest you wipe down before you get cold." And with that, Kuroko turned his attention back to the 5-on-5 match.

Kise sulked to the benches with Adachi and laid in misery for the rest of practice.

_**Time: 1.12 seconds**_

* * *

_**Round 3**_

"Okay, five minute half time." Kuroko announced. Murasakibara immediately pulled out a bag of candy from a plastic bag from the sideline benches and picked out two particular flavours.

"Kuro-chin~ Here. For your hard work." She handed him a piece of vanilla milky candy. "Try it, it's a new type." The tall center exclaimed with lazy, childish glee. She popped a chocolate one in her mouth as well.

"Thank you Asami." Kuroko unwrapped the candy and copied Murasakibara's action.

"Does it taste good~?" He nodded. "Good, I wanna try it too." When he looked up at her in confusion, she held his face with her hand and pushed his cheeks together to have his lips pursing. "Itadakimasu~" And pressed her lips against his. With her tongue, she maneuvered the vanilla candy from his mouth into her's and exchanged it with the chocolate one. She broke the kiss on her own.

Kuroko stared up at her, void of expressions.

"Thanks for the meal, Kuro-chin~" Kuroko was really as delicious as she thought.

_**Time: 25.01 seconds**_

* * *

_**Round 4**_

Midorima was supporting Akashi with her weight. Akashi apparently sprained her ankle.

"Tetsuya. It's swollen. Help me wrap it up."

With Momoi supervising the rest of the team, Kuroko and Akashi were in the back tending to Akashi's injury. When she was all wrapped up, Kuroko placed a bag of ice on it to relieve the swelling.

"Just stay off of it for a day or so and you should be okay for practice after that." Kuroko explained. Not that he needed to. Akashi knew all.

"Tetsuya. Kiss me." Akashi ordered.

He didn't comply; however, he was even hesitant to object Akashi's orders. He remained in place, holding Akashi's ankle on his lap.

"Tetsuya. That is an order. Kiss me." This time, it was more threatening.

Although reluctant, Kuroko gently placed her foot back on the ground and leaned forward. Akashi happily met him half-way. As Kuroko began to break the kiss, arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer, deepening the kiss. Akashi parted her lips, but Kuroko's remained shut. She tried again, this time nipping at his bottom lip, but to no avail. The captain mentally sighed and released Kuroko.

Instead of questioning her motives, he just stood up and offered her a hand. She took it and leaned against him as he helped her walk to practice.

The content smile on her face remained for the rest of practice (much to everyone else's paranoia and fear). Momoi, bruised up yet again, didn't have the heart (or guts) to save Kuroko this time.

_**Time: 24.35 seconds**_

* * *

_**Final Round**_

* * *

After Practice.

* * *

Midorima and Kuroko walked side-by-side on their way home after dropping off Aomine. It was a peaceful silence.

"Shino-san." Kuroko called for her. She gave him her attention. "Please face me." She did so and was met with soft, cold lips pressed against her's. Her mind shut down. Kuroko broke the brief kiss and explained himself. "I'm sorry Shino-san. Everyone kissed me today and I thought you'd want one as well." When she didn't respond, he waved a hand in her face. Still no response. He sighed and settled with holding her hand and dragging her back. She followed him with robotic movements.

When she finally came to, in her room, on her bed, faced up, her entire being became red and warm. She screamed into a pillow that night.

_**Time: 2 seconds**_

* * *

In conclusion, everyone technically won.

Aomine got a taste of Kuroko.

Kise had her first kiss by her first love.

Murasakibara got to taste Kuroko _and _candy.

Akashi got Kuroko to kiss her.

And Midorima had Kuroko willingly surprise her with a kiss.

Winner be damned.

* * *

_NG (omake): _

_"Good work everyone. Practice is over. Shower up, go home, and I will see you tomorrow." Kuroko announced in monotone. He picked up a stray ball. "Momoi-kun and I will handle the clean up." _

_After everyone else left Kuroko and Momoi cleaned up the gym in silence. After mopping up, Momoi thanked Kuroko for his hard work. _

_"It's nothing. Thank you Momoi-kun for helping us out." Kuroko said softly as he walked across the gym to walk with Momoi back home. Before Momoi could respond, he noticed Kuroko walking towards particularly wet spot. He walked towards Kuroko, prepared to catch him. _

_"Oi, Tetsu-kun, watch ou-" Instead, he ended up slipping and falling directly on Kuroko. _

_"Momoi-kun... Um. I was wondering if- ...OH! Coach! Manager! I'm sorry! I never knew you ... Two...umm..." One of Momoi's admirers and a player walked in on a particular intimate looking moment between the two. Their lips were connected and Momoi was hovering over Kuroko while straddling him. "I just... KYAAAAA~! So hot!" Her outburst made the rest of the team, including the Kiseki girls, to see what had happened. _

_It was only fair to say that they were the only ones not pleased with the sight. _

_**Time: One whole minute. **_

_**Winner: Momoi Natsuki.**_

_Not that he was particularly happy about it. But he wasn't upset either._


	5. Reminiscence of Teikou pt 4

_A/N: As requested, here is Murasakibara's time to shine! (really, y'all. The beginning might be misleading but really.)_

_And thanks you __**Frozen-Requiem**__ for pointing this out, I am gonna include the Crownless Generals/Uncrowned Kings/whatever you call them, on here. I can't NOT include them! I absolutely adore Hayama, Nebuya, Kiyoshi... okay I like all of them. (even Hanamiya. It's just funny to laugh at him.) I dunno whether I'm gonna genderbend them or not (considering it, not considering it, gonna entertain the idea for a bit before making a final conclusion.)_

_And there is a chance Kagami's gonna be pinning for Kuroko too. It's not my otp, but Kagami would make an adorable love-struck teenage girl. It's the ideal shoujo manga plot right there. _

_Don't worry about the minor characters in this story (like other Teikou students, bystanders, etc.). I don't do OC's and they're only there as background characters. I only give them names to make it easier on my lazy-ass. _

_This will clarify some things: Kuroko refers to people with polity honorifics (-san, -kun, -senpai, etc.), Akashi refers to people by first names, Momoi refers to people informally (-kun, -chan, etc.), Murasakibara will shorten their names and add -chin to the end. Aomine and Midorima are normal, their tones will be slightly different though._

_Kuroko IS a student of Teikou. I figuthat if Riko, a student of Seirin high school, can coach a team of high school boys, then Kuroko can pretty much do the same. _

_Don't mind the part when Midorima asked about Kuroko's choice in high school. That'll be important in later chapters._

_Kuroko no Basket __© Fujimaki_

* * *

Waking up suddenly felt like the bane of Kuroko's existence. He managed to sleep off his side in his sleep, but Seika ended up laying her head and her breasts on his chest. In fact, she was basically sleeping _on _him. Kuroko looked up only to have a strip of sunlight nearly blind him. Her curtains were opened a smidgen, but the light that filtered in was directly in his face. Kuroko shifted slightly to escape the light, but ended up waking Seika. She looked up at him from her position and smiled lazily.

"Good morning Tetsuya."

"Good morning, Seika-san." He began to sit up, but it was difficult with Seika still laying on him. "Er... Seika-san?"

"Hm?"

"Could you please move so I can sit up?"

Reluctantly, she peeled herself off of him. However, once Kuroko was up and seated cross-legged, she crawled over to him and sat in his lap while nuzzling his neck like the previous night. He sighed at her tenacious behaviour. Minutes passed and Kuroko eventually felt hands snake up his neck. As he was about to ask her to stop, he realized why she did so. The hands reached their destination and smoothed out his unruly bedhair.

She chuckled. "Really, Tetsuya. Even I know it's too early for that."

"Yes, Seika-san." He suddenly wasn't sure if staying another night would be ideal anymore.

* * *

Monday Morning. Teikou. 8:30 A.M.

* * *

Kuroko and Momoi chatted idly (well, moreso Momoi. Kuroko listened and inserted a comment once in a while) while waiting for the Kiseki girls to finish exchanging their outdoor shoes for indoor shoes.

"It's impressive." Momoi suddenly brought up. Kuroko looked up at him.

"What is, Momoi-kun?"

"How you basically have your own rainbow-harem. It's the talk of the school, y'know?" Momoi explained. He wasn't lying, either. There's were numerous rumours revolving around the Kiseki members and their precious coach.

"They are only rumours. I don't understand the extent of it, but as long as it doesn't harm any of them, then I won't mind it." Kuroko announced confidently (not like anyone can tell).

Momoi smiled down at Kuroko and ruffled his hair. "Ah, thats so you, Tetsu-kun. Keep that up and I might fall for you too." He joked. Kuroko felt slightly irritated at being belittled with Momoi's actions and smacked his hand away.

"Please stop."

"But really, what's taking those girls so long?" Momoi looked into the shoe locker room to see the Kiseki girls gathered around Murasakibara's locker. "Oi. What's up?" Curious, the coach and manager exited the hallway into the locker room to see what the fuss was about.

"Murasakicchi received a confession letter!" Kise made way for Kuroko and Momoi to see the letter.

It was true. In Mursakibara's hands was a simple, white envelope and a simple letter-card addressed to her.

**I have admired you for a fair amount of time. I like you. Will you go out with me? Meet me by the 3****rd**** gym after school for your answer. I'd really like to see you. **

**-Izawa Kumanosuke**

"Oh! Izawa!"Aomine exclaimed when she recognized the name.

"You know him, Aomine?" Eyes were on Aomine, except for Murasakibara's.

"Yeah. He's a pretty decent guy. Student council secretary. He called me out for skipping once, but just let me off with a warning. Pretty decent looking, I guess. He's fairly tall so it should work with Murasaki. And..." Aomine rambled on while everyone decided to ignore her for the sake of Izawa.

"Well... thats great, isn't it, Mura-chan?" Momoi changed the subject and patted Murasakibara's back.

The girl in question looked at the letter card, flipped it over and obseved the back.

"...It doesn't look edible. Not interested." She said lazily and walked to class while tossing the letter behind her.

"Eh. . .?"

* * *

Lunch.

* * *

Murasakibara sat with her back against a wall on the roof alone. She was clearly upset about the events that took place that morning, even if it wasn't evident on her face. She ate more slowly than usual and stared aimlessly into the open sky. Lost in a daze, she didn't even notice the door to the roof open and a presence sat by her.

"You're really gonna worry him like that." A voice next to her said. Not even taken by surprise, Murasakibara looked over to see Momoi.

"Aw, it's only Momo-chin. I was hoping Kuro-chin would come to comfort me eventually." Munch.

A tick set off on Momoi's face but she let it slide. "Well, thanks. That's kind to the person here to help." He retorted.

"It's true. And I really don't care for that guy. He should take the hint if I don't go." She argued. She genuinely did not care whether the guy wanted to confess or not. It was pointless of her to go if all she was gonna do was give him a 'no'.

"Ah, no. Actually, I was talking about Tetsu-kun."

"Why would Kuro-chin be worried?" The apathetic girl asked.

Momoi shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe because you looked uncomfortable when you got the letter this morning?"

"Like I said, it didn't look edible and it looks troublesome to answer him." She defended.

"You can say that, I wouldn't know what's going on in your head. In fact, I can't even read Tetsu-kun. But for me to look into the classroom and immediately tell he was distressed, that's saying something."

Murasakibara was silent. She stopped snacking for a while to think about it.

Momoi looked back at her and smiled gently. He rose from his spot and pulled out something from his uniform blazer and tossed it onto Murasakibara's lap. The girl looked down at the familiar hand-writing and looked back up at Momoi's towering figure.

"Well, you decide what you want to do. Just don't make it harder on that guy. I don't like seeing him this way." Momoi's smile turned into a sad one. She nodded at him as he walked back towards the door to the roof. Tilting her snack box towards her other hand for another snack, she let herself be lost in thought for a bit. That is, until a foreign, non-snack related object fell into her hand. Her eyes widened a millimeter or so, but she smiled at the final thought in her mind.

"Momo-chin." She called out to him, grasping the toy in her fist. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Do you love Kuro-chin too?" Momoi froze in place at her choice of question. "Ehhh! So it's true? Then I can't lose to Momo-chin either!" She declared suddenly

"_**How the hell did you draw that conclusion!**_"

* * *

After School

* * *

"So? Your answer, Asami-chan?" Izawa asked from a few feet away from Murasakibara. She looked at him with an expressionless look. Aomine was right. He was alright on the eyes and about a few centimeters taller than her. He looked confident, but the way his legs fidgeted gave away his nervousness. She swalloed her cracker snack and popped several Kik-Kacks minis in her mouth.

"Murasakibara." She corrected him. "I only want one person to call me 'Asami.'"

"..."

"I saw your letter and it didn't look very edible." She announced suddenly. He looked at her incredulously. She held the letter up between her pointer and middle fingers and handed it to him. "You don't look very tasty either." That was her rejection, he concluded.

Izawa looked at the letter in his hand and sighed to himself. It was a losing battle anyways. "I guess that means I'll have to be a couple of centimeters shorter than you to qualify?" He asked her cryptically. She understood.

"I mean, there's no point." He understood from there. No matter what he did, he can never be _him._ He can never live up to her standards because she had none. There was only _him_ and nothing more, nothing less.

He scratched the back of his head and reached into his pocket. Izawa pulled out a piece of vanilla milk candy and handed it to her. "Here." He took her hand and placed the candy in her palm. He saw a glimpse of a particular toy in her hand as well and smiled sadly. "I appreciate you coming out and saying it in person. I'll see ya around." And with that Izawa left her alone.

Murasakibara looked down at the vanilla candy in her hand. It was the exact same brand and flavour Kuroko first gave her.

"Hmm... Kuro-chin is tasty after all." She muttered to herself. The tall girl walked to a nearby corner to see her friends all gathered together in a clump. "Ri-chin is loud. I could hear her very easily~"

All eyes turned to glare at Kise (with the exception of Kuroko, of course). She could only stick out her tongue and utter an apologetic 'oops?'.

* * *

Everyone walked together to the station. Aomine and Momoi chit-chatted with Kise trying to get in on the conversation. Akashi and Midorima were discussing upcoming training times and matches. That left Kuroko to walk behind everyone with Murasakibara. It was best that way.

"Kuro-chin heard all that, right?" She asked, referring to the confession.

"Only two parts."

"Which parts~? The part when he called you short?" She teased. His eye twitched for a nanosecond but he brushed it off.

"Yes, that too."

"Hmm.." Muraskibara purposely slowed her pace and Kuroko mirrored her action. No one noticed the two lagging behind further and further.

"Umm... We might want to catch up?" Kuroko looked up and her to see if anything was causing her to lag idly behind. Altogether, she stopped. He stopped with her.

"Kuro-chin. Hold out your hand." Kuroko held up his hand with his palm facing upward. "A gift for our favourite coach~" She placed a whistle on a string necklace in his palm. Kuroko looked at the toy in his hand and smiled up at her.

"Thank you, Murasakibara-san."

"Asami." She corrected for the second time that day. "For the whistle, Kuro-chin will call me by my given name from now on." She smiled childishly with a feather-light blush adorning her cheeks.

"I understand." Pause. "Asami-san." He added.

Asami pouted. "No~Don't add the '-san'~ It's not as special anymore." She puffed a cheek at him.

Kuroko placed the whistle around his neck and began walking with Asami following behind. "Okay, Asami. And thank you very much for the whistle. I appreciate it." As he was about to speed up his pace to catch up to the rest, he felt velvet soft hands blind him and pull him back gently. A peck was placed at the crown of his head.

'_I like Kuro-chin the most in the world._' Asami clutched at the forgotten bag of snacks.

Her mouth was momentarily too occupied to be eating.

* * *

_A/N: Yes, Kik-kacks. Copyright, y'all (/ \);; Anyways, thank you to everyone for the favourites, follows, and reviews! Checking my email has been much more enjoyful for me nowadays (as opposed to checking for emails from stuffy teachers about my assignment. (- -) _

_Well, I'm off of homebound at this point. I should be well enough to go back (/lies. I just hate make-up work). So sorry if updates start getting slower and slower._

_For the record, Kagami will show up on this fic again. It won't be for a while though because he/she doesn't have much significance during their Teikou days. The angst is coming! The angst is coming! (/rides off on my horse)_

_Reviews are appreciated! \( )/_


	6. Reminiscence of Teikou pt 5

_A/N: 'Reminiscence of Teikou'_ _is coming to an end soon! I really have no idea what to write for Kise's chapter with Kuroko. I need to get through Kise (to be fair, and because I really do like this ship~)._

_I'm not going to go into detail about what Kuroko said to Aomine, this isn't her chapter. I'll leave it up to y'all. _

_A comforting Kuroko- well, in the character bible, since his future career is as a kindergarten teacher, I figured he'd have some way of comforting people than just a plain, boring pat on the back. I'm sure the guy's not THAT awkward. _

_**I have a poll on my page that I'd like for people to vote on. It'd be much appreciated!**  
_

_Warning: OOC Kuroko (but you honestly can't blame him. Lol)_

___Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Aominecchi! It's not my fault!" Kise whined at being accused.

"Shut the hell up! You're the reason why I fucked up that shot! No we're behind by nine points because you keep trying to take the fucking ball from me!" Aomine shouted at the quivering blonde.

At the moment, they were in the middle of a practice match against a neighbouring school. However, there was a fight between two members of Kiseki in the middle of a game. The audience watched on with concern. Aomine grew more and more vicious in her verbal attacks, and Kise, although on the verge of tears, held her ground.

"You can't keep hogging the ball! Everyone else has their own quota to meet too!" Kise retorted back. Her hands were balled up in fists at her side.

Aomine's being resembled that of a wild animal about to attack a prey. Kise looked ready to put up a fight back. Kuroko called for time out and the referee obliged.

"Kise. Aomine. Come here." Kuroko did not bother with honorifics at a time like this. When the two approached him, the rest of the team watched at the trio with anxiety.

"Kurokocchi! Take Aomine out! At this rate, no one will meet their quota and it's not fair that she's taking over the game like that." Kise cried out.

Angered that Kise would suggest taking her out, Aomine snarled, her teeth bared. "Shut the hell up." The tanned player growled.

"Aominecchi! It's true! Even Akashicchi hasn't met her usual quota because you kept scoring!"

"Both of you. Stop." First warning.

"Keep it up, bitch! I'm warning you!" She threatened.

"Daiki." Second warning.

"The rest of us are not decorations for you! Stop hogging the spot light."

"Risa." Third warning.

"Shut the fuck up, you whore!"

Snap.

"**I want both of you off the court. Right this instant. Don't even come to practice this week. If I so much as catch you in our gyms, I will not hesitate to train both of you to death. Leave.**" His voice did not raise by much, but the tone in Kuroko's voice silenced those listening.

"K-Kurokocchi." Kise's tears began flowing at this point. Her voice trembled and her legs began to shake.

"Tet...su...?" Aomine's voice even began to waver as she reached out to their coach. He caught her hand in his and held it away from his body and looked down at them with a cold stare.

"**Do not make me repeat myself. Get out this court and stand outside. I will deal with both of you.**" Kuroko turned towards Momoi, who flinched at the look on his face. Even Midorima, Akashi and Murasakibara were frozen in place at Kuroko's change in character. Never had they seen their coach so livid. They didn't like it, but they knew it was for the best. "Take over for now." Momoi nodded.

Aomine and Kise separated and exited the gym from the two exits. Kuroko took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself to calm down before confronting one of the two girls. Midorima walked up to her childhood friend and placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and she flinched. Obviously the stare was still there. He nodded his head in a silent apology for showing her this side of him. If anyone were to ask her, she would honestly say that even she has never seen him like this in all the years she has known him.

"I will be back." And with that, he walked out the door Aomine exited. The game continued.

* * *

"Tch, stupid Tetsu. What does he know?" Aomine muttered to herself as she played with a stray leaf on the ground. She sat crouched against the wall, sulking and silently angry.

"On the contrary, Daiki, I know plenty." He said from beside her. She looked over and fell over from shock. "Don't be too surprised. I told you I'd handle you two." He told her with bitterness laced in his tone.

"Yeah, well, what do you want?"

They remained silent for what seemed like an eternity until Kuroko spoke up.

* * *

Kise was curled up against the wall on the other side of the gym. Her sobs became more silent as time progressed, but the tears only came out heavier and heavier.

"K-Kurokocchi got mad at me..." She choked on her words and cried harder at the memory of Kuroko's cold gaze. She couldn't help but feel her heart growing heavy, like weights were pulling on her heartstrings. The blonde clenched at her chest and sobbed harder. "I-I don't want K-ku-kurokocchi to hate me. I like Kurokocchi the...the most in this world." She confessed to no one in particular.

Her eyes began to swell from crying so much and her throat was becoming dry from her constant sobbing and heavy breathing. With her jersey collar, she wiped at her face in hopes of cleaning it up, but tears still fell from her face.

"Kurokocchi..." She whispered to herself and began bawling.

It was only in the middle of her crying did she feel something warm drape over her shoulder. She looked up from the ground to see Kuroko crouched over her, covering her back with the jacket.

"Aomine-san told me to give it to you before you get cold. I sent her home." Kuroko told her. Elated at seeing Kuroko back to his normal, expressionless self, Kise couldn't hold back the urge to hug him. She flung herself into his arms, knocking them both over. Her face was buried into his chest as she continued to cry and sob violently. A hand awkwardly landed on her back and began to rub comforting circles. Although she was still crying, it calmed. She did not relinquish her hold on him and silently cried.

"Kise-san, give me a minute." He pried her off of him for a moment. In that moment, she grew scared that he was going to leave her. Instead, he sat against that wall with his legs crossed and beckoned her to sit on his lap. Elated, she obliged and laid her head at the crook of his neck. He rubbed at her head in a comforting matter and tilted his body back and forth gently, as if comforting a troubled child (which he might as well be).

"Kise-san has no reason to cry because Aomine-san does not hate you. She was angry, and you were too. It's only normal that you two would fight." Kuroko said in his usual voice. Kise shook her head. "Is that not what you were crying about?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Then what is the matter, Kise-san?"

It was silent for a while as she willed herself to calm down. Taking a deep intake of breath, and a brief exhale, she explained to him.

"Well... I was sad because... I don't want Kurokocchi to hate me, and Aomine called me that name..." Kise did not like being called a 'whore'. It only reminded her of the rumours that were always spread about her. It was another reason why she did not make many female friends outside of Kiseki. They were always envious of her. She could hear them talk about her from the back of the class. They spread rumours about Kise using her body to seduce the boys, about how she would do anything to become more popular, about how she got to become a model and a first-string player because she used her "assets". They were all very untrue. She only just recently received her first kiss, she had only just realized her first love, and her modeling career and placement on the team was pure luck and fortune she achieved through hard work. Their words hurt her severely and having Aomine, someone she thought of as a friend, call her that made her feel worse than necessary.

Kuroko got the hint and gently held her closer and patted her back. "It's alright. Aomine usually speaks before knowing the situation, you know that. She was in the heat of the moment and carelessly spoke without thought." _So will you forgive her?_ The silent question lingered over Kise's head for a minute before she nodded, closing her eyes and allowing herself to drown in Kuroko's scent and warmth. It was nice having him hold her like this.

"And another thing."

"Hm?"

"I can never hate Kise-san."

Her face grew warm at his sudden confession. Even if it didn't seem to mean much, it meant the world to her. Her heart felt like it was swelling in her chest from his words. She leaned closer towards him and closed her eyes in pure bliss.

She asked him, "You know what will make me very happy, Kurokocchi?"

"Hm?"

"Call me 'Risa' from now on. I want to erase the way you said it earlier from my mind. So, please call me by my name more often from now on." It was only half the truth. She believed that, if she were to marry Kuroko, then calling her Kise would be pointless. It wouldn't be her surname anymore.

"Alright, Risa-san."

"Thank you, Kurokocchi." Her consciousness began to slip away as she grew tired from all the crying. Under her breath, silent for only her to hear before she slipped away into a blissful sleep in his arms, Kise murmured, "I really do love Kurokocchi."

* * *

_NG (Omake): _

_Although the game continued, the atmosphere was tense and the crowd was still too shell-shocked to cheer. Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara were playing along with two other regulars. _

_Midorima made a shot, but it bounced off the backboard and into the net, as opposed to her usual perfect shots. Her mind was wandering. The other two Kiseki members noticed. _

_At their second time out, the point guard approached the shooting guard. "Your shots are off, Shino." _

_Said shooting guard pushed her glasses up, allowing a gleam to hide her eyes. "You know very well why..." _

_"__It really is weird to see Kuro-chin so mad, scary~" Murasakibara trembled a bit at the memory and sat on the bench for a momentary break. _

_"__I dunno, I think it's nice seeing a different side of him." Momoi added in his own input after discussing the new game plan with the other two regulars. "Makes me feel closer to him when I see a side of him I never knew existed." Momoi shrugged nonchalantly and looked at the statistics on Kuroko's clipboard. The three remaining Kiseki members looked at their manager-slash-temporary coach with perplexed expressions. _

_"__Natsuki... Have you fallen... for Tetsuya...?" Akashi asked cautiously._

_"__Momo-chin is a homo~" Murasakibara teased, popping a piece of mint in her mouth. _

_"__...I didn't know you swing that way, Momoi. Congrats." Although unhappy with the fact that Momoi became competitions, she honestly was happy for her manager for coming out. Under strange circumstances, however. _

_"__Wait... What." Momoi slowly turned towards the trio as they discussed and questioned his sexuality. _

_"__I'm not into it, and the idea of Tetsuya being with anyone angers me greatly. However, it is interesting to think about you two as an item." Akashi said, crossing her arms and looking up at Momoi with an unreadable expression. He stared blankly. _

_"__What?" Momoi asked with an incredulous look. _

_"__I second that thought." Midorima turned her back on them, but one could clearly see the red on her ears. _

_"__Midorima... wait..." Momoi couldn't take it. _

_"__Ohh~ Like that... um, what did Hiromi call it...? Yaoi! Yeah~ That'd be cute~" _

_"__Oh oh! Are you talking about coach and manager together?" Number 16 of Teikou's girls' basketball team squealed at the mention of her OTP. _

_"__Possibly." And more girls joined in on the conversation about the possibility of the two being together. _

_"__..." Momoi felt his soul leave his body until the referee blew the whistle. _

_He felt uncomfortable looking at his team or Kuroko for the next week or so. _


	7. Reminiscence of Teikou End

_A/N: Last, but not least! AoKuro is actually my OTP and I absolutely love the angst (even if it brings me to tears every episode. /gross sobbing). I am so sorry for doing this in Aomine's chapter and it just pains me to end the arc (yes, arc. The series isn't done just yet) like this. I'm even more sorry for doing this to myself OTL (/gross whale cry). As you can tell from this chapter, I am very bias about which pairing I favor the most. This does **not **make the pairing AoKuro for the story, overall. Maybe the chapter, but it's more of a goodbye than anything._

_**I have a poll on my profile I'd like for people to vote on! It'd be greatly appreciated.**  
_

_Warning: Angst and AoKuro in this chapter. Don't worry it won't be the main pairing in this series. I'm just really biased lol_

_Also, it may say 'end' in the chapter title, but it's only the end of 'Reminiscence of Teikou'. Among Us Girls is still ongoing. _

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

Teikou. Third term.

* * *

"Ah, Aomine-san." Kuroko called out to her as he passed her classroom at the end of class. Aomine was in the process of collecting her things. She looked up from her bag to face Kuroko and smiled.

"'Sup Tetsu." She called back, picking up her bags and walking over to him.

"Will you be at practice today?" Her smile dropped into a scowl and shrugged. Instead of continuing the conversation, she only walked away. The stoic teen turned to watch the slumped, retreating back of his friend in sadness. This was the third day this week Aomine has skipped practice. It was only Thursday.

* * *

"Yo, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi strolled towards Kuroko in the first gym as the regular first stringers were practicing. Kise was marking Midorima and doing well in defending. However, from the looks of it, Midorima's shots were better than they were before; her accuracy exceeded anyone and everyone's expectations. Kise was also rapidly improving. It would be hard to believe she had only just recently taken the title of Kiseki from Haizaki just a year ago. Her copy ability only continued to impress everyone. Murasakibara slacked more often as of recently. Akashi became more... demanding, for lack of better word.

"Okay, everyone gather up." Kuroko called for everyone to gather around him and sit while he made an announcement. "I am glad to see you all improve greatly as of recently. Now, we have a match against Tai Middle school in two days. Momoi, please explain the details, I will be back in a few." Kuroko handed his clipboard to his very shocked friend. He walked past the manager and out the gym door, curious eyes staring at his back.

"No matter what the circumstances, I will win, therefore, I am always right." Kuroko heard Akashi tell Momoi when he mentioned how formidable of a team Tai was before he was out the door and against the wall.

"Aahh... this is no good." Crouching on to the ground with his knees up to his chin, Kuroko laid his forehead on his knees and buried his head in his lap. '_I suddenly don't feel so well..._' That was his last thought before blacking out.

* * *

_He saw himself in a dream. It was as if he was in the sky, looking down at a perfect copy of himself. _

_"Is... that me?" He said out loud, but, even as his lips moved, his voice could not be heard. _

_He watched on as his being stood alone in an empty stadium, facing the exits. A basketball rolled towards his feet from the very shadows that followed him. He took a step forward. The shadow got closer. Another step towards the door, this time followed by another almost immediately. He was running towards a door that only seemed to be getting farther and farther. The shadow followed until it reached his feet and quickly engulfed his entire being. He tried reaching out for the boy, but failed miserably in his attempt. It became dark again. _

_Lights were flashed on, he was in a different stadium. Kuroko saw himself dressed in a t-shirt and basketball shorts with a whistle hanging from his neck; he was in his usual coaching attire. The light-haired teen was on the sidelines facing the Kiseki no Sedai. They were gathered together, facing him, at the scoreboard. It was 104 to a measly 2 with Teikou being the winner. Kise had a hollow, empty smile painted on her face. Murasakibara looked as indifferent as ever, if not more so. Midorima did not smile in the least bit over their victory; she only looked away from everyone, tending to her lucky item. Akashi smirked evilly, her eyes gleaming with malice. Aomine was probably the worst of them all in Kuroko's eyes. She did not even have a bit of sweat on her. She looked to the other team in their misery and scowled. _

_Kuroko saw hate in her eyes. In all of them. And not towards the team. He knew it was over the sport that they once loved so dearly. _

"Hey, Tetsu..." There was a pat on his left cheek. "Seriously, wake up... Please." Kuroko slowly opened his eyes to a familiar, tan face staring at him with concern.

"Aomine-san?"

"Don't scare me like that. Seriously, I go to the gym to pick up something I left there and—Are you crying?" She stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed a single tear fell from Kuroko's eyes. His expression was the same as usual, but the tears were completely out of character. "Oi! Tell me who did it! I ain't gonna hold back in kicking his ass!"

"It's nothing Aomine-san." Kuroko said as he stumbled out of the infirmary bed (how did he end up there?). "I'm just going to head home for the day. Also, we have a match in two days. Be there."

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Aomine grabbed at his shoulder and tried to pull him back in bed. "Tetsu! Don't give me that 'Its nothing' bull crap! Seriously, you never cry. What the hell happened." It was silent for some moment. "Tets-"

He **slapped** the offending hand away from his shoulder.

"I will see you then, Aomine-san." And he walked out the infirmary, leaving a very shocked Aomine behind.

* * *

From the sidelines, Kuroko watched Kiseki play. His eyes trailed after every player and their every movements. He called for time out half-way through third quarter.

"Kise-san, Murasakibara-san, Midorima-san. I'm switching you out. Adachi-san, Sayaka-san, Akira-san, you're going to play." Kuroko explained.

"Don't bother, Tetsu. I can take these guys down on my own." Aomine waved off the other three players. They were clearly offended but did not voice it.

"You can't do that, Aomine-san. Tai is holding their own pretty well, especially when playing against you and the others." Kuroko retorted. He did not like where this was going.

"Tetsu. The rest of them are holding me back. I can handle this. ...After all, the only one who can beat me is myself. I don't need anyone to help me or anything." Aomine declared. She stood from the bench and prepared to go back on court. Kuroko was frozen in place as he looked at Aomine with an expression void of emotion.

The referee called for the end of time out and the game continued.

At the end of the game, Teikou won with the score of 126 to 45. When Kise happily jumped in place over their victory, and Akashi smirked at her prediction, no one noticed Kuroko slipping away.

"Tetsu-kun! We won!" Momoi looked to his side to find Kuroko missing. "Tetsu-kun...?" He looked around for the coach, wondering if he was using his famous lack of presence again to blend in with the crowd. He was really no where to be found. Kise was the next to notice.

"Where is Kurokocchi?" She vocalized for the rest of Kiseki to hear. They looked around and Kuroko was gone.

* * *

Kuroko was absent from school for the next few days. Akashi always glared at the empty seat whenever she entered class and he wasn't there. The rest of the Kiseki even accompanied Midorima home to confront him, but his mother said that he had left home for a while and doesn't know when he'll be back. What shocked the Kiseki members the most was the fact that she didn't seem the least bit worried.

"He will be back. You'll find out when." She assured them with a sad smile and gently closed the door after a brief bow. They were nearing graduation and Kuroko has yet to show up.

It was during practice, a new face showed up. She was very plain looking: brown haired tied into a ponytail, brown eyes that held no enthusiastic gleam, basic frame. Apparently she was the new coach.

"I did not authorize this." Akashi said with displeasure when the new lady introduced herself as Miyami-sensei.

"You must be the feared captain I assume?" Miyami did a quick look over Akashi and nodded. "I assume so."

Aomine, actually there for practice, asked, "What happened to Tetsu?"

"Ah, Kuroko handed in his letter of resignation last week. I was just recently assigned this position." Mayami answered. She continued chatting with the rest of the team while Kiseki was still digesting the information.

Kuroko quit the team.

* * *

"Tetsuya. Where have you been?" Akashi, once she caught sight of a familiar mop of light blue hair, rushed over to his seat and began interrogating.

"I have been places, Akashi-san." Kuroko answered her, clearly not using her given name.

She was unhappy with his answer. "Don't avoid the topic, Tetsuya. Answer me properly. Right this instant." She demanded threateningly. It was clearly not enough.

"Akashi-san. Class is starting." And he ignored her for the rest of the day.

* * *

He was cornered in the locker room. Aomine was currently holding him in place by gripping at his shirt collar. She snarled in his face.

"What the hell is this I hear about you quitting the team?" She snapped at him. He did not even bat an eye lash.

"I was never part of the team. None of you needed me to coach you in anything."

"Who the fuck said you can leave!"

"No one. I left on my own accord."

"That's not enough, Tetsu. You know that's not what I want to hear."

"You don't need to hear a lot of things. Aomine-san, listen to me carefully when I say this: You do not need me anymore. There is no reason for me to be there anymore." He tried prying her hands off of him, but she only held on tighter. Tears began forming in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"That's not true, Tetsu... We... _**I**_ always need you. I don't want you to leave me..." In order to hide the tears spilling from her eyes, she loosened her grip on his shirt and substituted her hand with her face, burying it in his shirt. Her hands took refuge on his shoulders.

"Aomine-san..." His voice remained monotone with a hint of sympathy.

"Tetsu... What if I told you that I love you?*"

"...I'm not sure. Does Aomine-san mean as a person?"

"No. I mean pure, whole-hearted love. As in... I'm in love with you.*" She gripped at his shoulders more tightly, anticipating his answer.

He was silent. In place of words, he wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her tightly.

She relaxed in his arms and slowly looked up at him. His eyes were still watching her. "Tetsu... I really do love you." Leaning forward, she kissed him. Initially, it was a slow, shy kiss. But when she felt him kiss back, she grew bolder in her actions and deepened the kiss. She indulged herself in the kiss, but even she knew the sad truth. It was a kiss goodbye.

When they broke the kiss, he hugged her by the waist and buried his face at the crook of her neck.

"There's nothing more I can do, Daiki."

* * *

After the closing ceremony, Kuroko was not heard from again after middle school. According to Midorima, who heard from his mother, that he moved to a different home closer to his high school of choice. Midorima settled for Shuutoku, as she initially planned. Aomine settled with Touou, claiming it was too troublesome to move somewhere far just to go to school. Momoi followed her to Touou to make sure her childhood friend stayed out of trouble. Akashi accepted an invitation to a school in Kyoto, Rakuzan. Murasakibara moved to the Akita prefecture to stay with her grandmother. She attended Yousen.

Even after they separated, all five girls held on to their first love.

* * *

_A/N: I Love you*=The first time Aomine said it, she meant the common form you hear in most animes, 'Daisuki'. But the second time she said it, it was 'Aishiteru'. I guess you could say its a more romantic form? (not really but I don't know how to word it properly so I'll stick with this.) _

_Kay, that's that. Next arc will be while their in high school. Seriously, guys, I don't think I can stick to canon as much as I thought I could. I'd never get anything done. I apologize for the lack of omake in this sad-ass chapter. I'll make up for it with a filler. Until then!_


	8. Filler: Meet the Family

_A/N: Here it is! The family feud! And I'm gonna go by given names in this chapter since there's gonna be mommas and papas in this chapter. The fight for Tetsuya begins! _

_My headcanon for Kuroko's family is that his mom is like a Koganei (enthusiastic but calmer) and his dad is like Mitobe (the silent hero, only more expressive in his actions...and he talks every now and then). That'd be so cute~ _

_Kuroko family- Suzana (Momma) and Kotetsu (Papa) (I am a big TnB fan if you haven't noticed ;w; ) _

_Midorima Family- Mami (Momma) (And Madoka as well~) and Ryohei (Papa). Aomine Family-Aoi (Momma) and Asahina (papa). Akashi Family-Amai (Momma) and Hajime (papa). Kise Family-Mari (momma) and Renji (papa). Murasakibara-Kanae (Momma) and Daichi (papa)_

_**KEEP UP THE VOTES ON MY PAGE. POLL ENDS THIS WEEKEND 11:59 EST.**  
_

_So I lied OTL This is probably the only instance of OC's (or even close). But it'll be necessary for the sake of a feud, y'all._

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Ah, mother. Are those the treats?" Tetsuya asked as he rubbed down his wet hair. It was still morning and he had just taken a morning shower. When he walked out, fully dressed, he saw his mother folding brown sugar, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds into mochi. Because their families were close to each other, they would all exchange treats with one another every two months. This time, it was the Kurokos' turn. Not that they minded. They enjoyed company at their home, and it was fine if it was for once a year; their flat was large enough to fit that many people.

"Yes. I really look forward to seeing everyone again." Suzana replied to her son calmly. Even if it did not show on her face, she was really looking forward to seeing the families. Ever since her son started middle school, she was worried he would only be friends with Midorima Shino and avoid interaction with everyone else. That's why she was elated to hear that he became the coach of a basketball team. It was, however, a shock for her to hear that he coaches girls and that three other girls already became attached to him; four at the end of their first year. The petite woman finds it humourous that her son became so popular with girls almost immediately.

"Ah, Momoi-kun said he will not be able to attend. He is visiting his grandparents with his mother." Tetsuya recalled his phone call with Momoi the night before. The pink haired teen complained at being unable to see his "precious" team.

"Ah, what a shame. I was really looking forward to see Natsuki-kun and his mother." At the same time, Kuroko's father, Kotetsu, walked in from his shower as well. "Dear, I appreciate it if you would wear a shirt around the house. Who knows when the guest will be here." Kotetsu looked down at his bare chest and ran back to his room embarrassed. He was a fairly tall man. He spoke little but was very expressive in his actions and expressions. Tetsuya inherited his looks, and his mother's height and personality. Suzana chuckled lightly at her husband's bashfulness. "Today will be quite interesting."

Tetsuya sweat-dropped at his mother's words. He suddenly remembered that his family was not aware of how attached his team was to him.

* * *

"So, Tetsuya." Akashi's family was the first to arrive, surprisingly. The light-blue haired boy suddenly felt that they were all too eager to see him; it worried him greatly. Currently, they were waiting for everyone else to arrive. Akashi's mother was assisting Suzana with the snacks and, knowing Kotetsu, he was frantically deciding what to wear. Seika was seated next to Tetsuya, clinging his arm against her chest. Her father was seated across from them, in the middle of the long, L-shaped couch. He was a built man, as opposed to his smaller, frail wife. Seika inherited his hair and eye colour, but that was probably it... "Do you plan on proposing soon, or do I have to get that out of you myself?"

...Okay, and maybe his personality as well.

Tetsuya sweat-dropped at the fact that he was just threatened to propose to Seika. He felt his arm being tugged and, looking down at her, he could clearly see her smirking at her father's insistence.

"Don't make me wait, Tetsuya. I'm not a patient person." He began to wonder if she inherited that from him as well.

* * *

The Kise and Midorima family were next to arrive. When the doorbell rang, Tetsuya took that as an opportunity to escape. He began to regret it immediately. The minute he opened the door and began his greeting, he was tackled to the ground by a very enthusiastic brother.

"Tetchan!" Ryuunnosuke, Risa's brother exclaimed. He clung to Tetsuya like a puppy, almost resembling a golden lab.

"It's good to see you too, Ryuun-"

"No fair!" Risa ran in and began to pry her brother off of Tetsuya, which much difficulty. Kotetsu took that time to walk in and greet everyone. He happily took Kise's father and mother's hands and lead them to the connected kitchen and living room to meet with everyone else, while Midorima's mother followed, and left the children to their matters. "Ryuucchi! I wanna hug my Kurokocchi too!" Risa whined at her brother's persistence.

"Ryuunosuke." A menacing aura was being emitted from the door to the living room from the hallway. Seika stood there, hands crossed against her chest, with a _playful_ smile painted on. "I brought snacks. Why don't you go try some while Daiki's brother is on his way, ne?" The red-haired teen suggested. Ryuunosuke, along with Aomine's brother, were absolutely terrified of Seika. Especially her wrath. The boy flew off of Tetsuya and into the living room for the snacks (and his life).

"Thank you, Akashicchi~" Risa smiled at Seika and began to pounce onto Tetsuya...

Until a hand flew out and grabbed her shirt collar. "Will you calm down. Your persistence is almost as annoying as your brother's." Shino said with aggravation in her voice. She looked down at Tetsuya, tossed Risa aside, and offered him a hand up. He took it and thanked her briefly.

"We should wait for the rest in Tetsuya's room, wouldn't you agree?" Seika suggested calmly. She was secretly planning on locking herself in the room with him.

"No need, we're here." Daiki interjected while dragging her brother by the wrist with her family in tow. The pair bowed politely in greeting. "Kise, your bro here yet?" Risa nodded. "Alright, get going you brat." Daiki kicked her brother in the direction of the door.

"Dai-chan. You should be nicer to your brother! How do you expect to have Tetsuya-kun's children if you're like that to your brother!" Daiki's mother, Aoi, exclaimed. Her husband nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean their children? Asami-chan plans on having his kids!" Daichi declared suddenly. Kanae was by his side and nodded her head in strong agreement.

"But we've already planned out their marriage and everything! How will our little girl expect to make it in life without Tetsuya-kun!" This time, it was Asahina who talked back.

"Oi! I **am** capable of handling myself, y'know?" Daiki commented from her place.

"Exactly, that's why you don't need to marry Kuro-chin~"

"Neither do you, Asami. If I recall, you wanted to be a pastry chef, correct? Well, it sounds like a reliable career. You don't need Tetsuya." Seika retorted.

"Hey, hey, what's going on out here?" Ryohei walked out of the living room, along with everyone else, when he heard the commotion.

"It is an argument for Tetsuya, father." Shino answered, pushing her glasses upwards.

"Oh, we know who Tetsu-chan belongs to, right Risa?" Mari looked to her daughter happily. Her enthusiastic daughter nodded just as happily.

"Tetsuya-niichan!" Ryuunosuke cheered. He began to run for Tetsuya, who was still seated on the ground, only to be stopped by Daiki's brother, Shinji.

"No! He'll be my big brother!"

"See, it's obvious which family wants him the most!" Asahina was proud of his son.

"I think not! Seika is obviously far more qualified to marry Tetsuya!" Amai commented while folding the un-cooked bun in her hands. She looked about ready to throw it.

"Um... I don't know about this marriage ordeal...?" Tetsuya contributed to the conversation, hoping to tame it. It only landed him in deeper waters among the sharks.

"Nonsense! Tetsuya likes my little girl, correct?" Hajime asked with a gleam in his eyes. The boy wasn't sure what answer would not get him killed anymore.

"Give us one good reason as to why your girl has to be with my son-in-law." Renji fought back. "Our girl at least has a chance of providing for their family and taking care of Tetsu." Risa's eyes gleamed with tears of happiness for her father. "And besides, he'd do a good job at keeping her in control. Who knows what that girl will do without him around." And suddenly her tears became crocodile tears of sadness. The rest of Kiseki minus Tetsuya snickered.

"Well, Shino has known him for quite some time. Wouldn't you agree that under their circumstances, they'd be more ideal for each other?" Ryohei added logically. Mami sighed dreamily at the thought of a childhood friendship-turned-romance scene.

"That doesn't mean anything. Asami deserves a sweet boy like Tetsuya." Kanae stood her ground.

"Seika clearly does! She's working hard for it!"

"And our Risa isn't?"

"Daiki is closer to him than any of them!"

"Shino has been with him the longest!"

"Erm... excuse me?" Everyone turned their attention to Kotetsu, shocked at him being vocal. "Don't you feel that they are all too young to be even thinking about marriage...?" The man asked weakly. He wasn't very comfortable with talking, but it was needed at this time. He didn't want the neighbors to start complaining.

"Of course not!" Everyone minus Tetsuya and Suzana said in perfect unison, and continued to argue. The poor man was dejected.

"Erm... Do I have any say in this...?" Tetsuya rose his hand weakly.

"Of course not!" They repeated, again, in perfect unison. Suzana leaned over to her son.

"I never knew you were so popular, dear."

After a good thirty minutes of arguing, Aoi threw her hands up. "That's it! Asahina, you know what to do!" Aoi walked out the door. With a snap of her fingers, her husband and youngest son grabbed Tetsuya and carried him out the house.

The boy being carried cried internally at the notion of being carried by a grade school child.

"You can't do that!" Amai shouted, chasing after them. On her way out, the knife on the kitchen counter suddenly went missing. Her husband followed suit, bowing before leaving.

Eventually, the other parents and siblings chased after the Aomine family and Tetsuya. The only ones that remained in the flat were the rest of Kiseki and the rest of the Kuroko family. In the awkward situation, Suzana began to giggle.

"Ah, I'm sorry girls. It seems your families may have more of a passion for our sons than you." She managed to get out through her giggling fit. Her husband grinned next to her and nodded in agreement.

The Kiseki girls looked to one another and back at Tetsuya's parents.

"Um... I'm afraid that's impossible." Shino began, lifting a hand to play with her braid.

"There's no one out there who can love Kurokocchi more than us." Risa continued, turning red in the face.

"And as much as we appreciate the cooperation of our families and their passion of having Tetsuya as a son-in-law..." Seika added.

"Kuro-chin is just too precious to us and, as Kiseki," Asami munched on the crackers in her hand.

"We will respect Tetsu's decision and support and care about him the whole way through." Daiki finished, clearly avoiding the word 'love' due to embarrassment. She muttered a quiet "Doesn't mean we can't try to persuade him otherwise..."

The parents were clearly surprised. They looked at each and every one of Kiseki and saw genuine love in each of them for their son. Their thoughts ran along the lines of '_I'm glad our son met such lovely, caring girls..._'

They invited them to lunch that Suzana made while they wait for Tetsuya's return.

* * *

_NG (Omake): (back to surnames since the parents won't show up again after this.) _

_Murasakibara was munching loudly on her food. Kise chatted idly with Suzana. Aomine and Kotetsu, finished with their meal early, were playing a game of Hanafuda. Midorima and Akashi ate in comfortable silence. _

_What brought them back to reality was the sound of knocking at the door. Suzana rose from her seat to answer the door. _

_When the door opened, they could hear a muffled "Oh! Tetsuya! Welcome back! It looks like you brought back a surprise!" Curious to see the 'surprise', everyone present at the table walked over to the hallway to see who it may be. They froze at the sight they were greeted with. _

_Momoi was at the door, carrying Tetsuya in princess style. The 'princess' himself was visibly exhausted in Momoi's arms, possibly from running._

"_Hello! I was on my way back and found him gasping for air in the middle of Shibuya! I couldn't help but carry him back!" The pink haired teen explained cheerfully. "Where's his room? I'll take him there." He grinned innocently. However, in the eyes of Kiseki, it looked mischievous. _

_Simultaneous cries could be heard:_

"_Momo-chin so sly~" _

"_Natsuki. I would suggest you hand him over right this instant." _

"_Momoicchi/Natsuki! Could you at least record Kurokocchi/Tetsu for me!"_

_And the sound of glasses shattering._


	9. Starting off

_A/N: Excuse the absence. I'm back in school from my homebound and tennis season is in full bloom for me. My coach is like Riko, increased training menu OTL I'm always so tired when I get home and then I have work loads that ensure me little to no sleep. So, updates will be slower than my usual update every two days thing._

_This is the start of the new arc! It should be closer to canon at this point (or not...) and plenty of new characters will be introduced. If you're following ONLY the anime, good luck. I'm gonna include characters from the manga as well. Also, there will be miniscule side pairings and some implied and one-sided stuff (as if it wasn't one-sided as it is). Kagami will join the harem, yay~ _

_And I was wondering if anyone would be interested in reference pictures I can find on the web, y'know, to paint a picture of how everyone looks as girls? _

_Some people will stay their gender. Gender-bending __**everyone **__would be tough since there's really only four girls in the actual series itself (Riko, Momoi, Alex, and Yosen's coach) and it'd just get really weird with those four in their world full of girls. (Plus, I have an idea for the guys and Kuroko~)._

_Some people WILL be genderbent and some will not, and some will have their canon counterpart in their series (but not interacting, nor will they be related. They're just there.) For example: Riko's male counterpart (Aiko Rin) will be coaching the girls, and Aida Riko will have small, brief appearances in this fic (for shits and giggles)._

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Okay girls. Water break. Be back within ten minutes or so." Kuroko looked down at his clipboard and back up at the retreating backs of his team.

It has been about a month into the new and very first high school year for Kuroko at Seirin. It was hectic finding a school in secret from everyone else, but Seirin was a good choice. After mildly persuading the basketball adviser, he was placed as only the manager for the girl's basketball team. It was strange since a girl was coaching the boy's basketball team, but who is he to judge?

"I apologize for downgrading you like this, Kuroko-kun." Takeda, Serin's basketball adviser, stratched at the back of his head. "I know your position back at Teikou, and as impressed as I am about that, I think it's best for you to start off as a manager." He smiled at Kuroko's brief nod of understanding. "And because you have experience with girls, I'm sure there should be no problem for you to be their manager."

And the rest was history. Kuroko didn't mind being a manager, but he finally understood what Momoi had to endure.

"Kuroko-kun, could you bring out the cart. We should be done in a few minutes." Aiko Rin, second year student of Seirin and their girl's basketball coach, called out to Kuroko. "But before that, I need you to come over here." Kuroko complied and Rin pulled him closer to huddle up between them. "Okay, so we've got a practice match against Kaijou High soon." Kuroko's eyes widened by a slight margin. It didn't go unnoticed by Rin, who, in turn, grinned. "I know! So soon, right! Well, I need you to do some research on them. I heard they have one of the girls you used to coach, Generation of Miracles, was it? Yeah, so go at it, tiger!" Rin straightened up from his huddled posture and slapped Kuroko on the back, nearly knocking the air out of him.

"Y-yes..." Kuroko walked at snail's pace towards the exit due to the 'sudden' soreness in his back, only to be stopped by a fellow basketball idiot.

"Oi, Kuroko." Kagami Taiga grabbed Kuroko by the back of his shirt and pulled him roughly towards her.

Sigh. "Yes, Kagami-san?" Kuroko turned to look down at her clutching at his shirt with one hand, and a basketball squeezed between her arm and side.

"We're going to Majiba after this, right?" At that same time, her stomach started to growl and her face grew red in embarrassment.

"Of course. Rin-kun has a few announcements to tell you all and then we can go to Majiba after you get changed." Kuroko explained to her, matter-of-factly. Kagami brightened at the thought of being able to eat burgers.

"Oi, you two. Stop flirting over there and hurry up. This fool's got something to say." Hyuuga Yuuna called out to the pair. She scowled at her juniors for their inattentiveness and pushed her glasses up. The two nodded and parted ways, Kagami to the rest of the team and Kuroko towards the storage room.

Just an ordinary day, and the same events will take place the next, and after that.

At least, that's what he had expected.

* * *

"Yep, I'm at Seirin High, Akashicchi." The very famous blonde piqued into her phone. "Oh, alright. I'll take a look around and report to you as soon as I can, bye~" And with that she hung up and observed her surroundings. Kisa Risa looked around the gates of Seirin and nodded in approval. "So this is where you chose to go, Kurokocchi." She muttered under her breath. "It's still not enough." With that, she walked into the school to a nearby gym.

* * *

"Wow! Look at those groups of guys. Was it raining men?" Izuki Shun, point guard, joked. Hyuuga smacked her on the back of the head at the lame-ness of the joke and directed her attention back to the male-students gathered at the side of the gym.

"Geez, is there a celebrity here, or wha-"

"Kyaa! Pervert!" A feminine cry was shrilled from the very center of the strong of males and Kuroko's ears perked up. Rin and Kuroko decided to step in before Hyuuga unleashed her wrath on them.

"Oi! You idiots, get the hell out of here!" Rin started kicking away at some of the guys until they gradually dispersed and trickled out the gym. Meanwhile, Kuroko used his lack of presence to be pushed towards the center and lead the poor girl away from the rabid fans.

Once all the guys were gone, everyone got a good look at the girl slouched over, panting and sweating from the pressure of being surrounded.

"Aren't you...?" Furihata blanked out at who she was facing.

"Aahhh~ Thank you! If it wasn't for you..." Kise looked up at the person holding her hand and froze for a moment before tackling her saviour to the ground. "Kurokocchi!"

"It's good to see you t-" And he was cut off when he hit the ground.

"O-oi! Get off of him!" Kagami decided to shake off her initial shock when she saw Kuroko being suffocated by an unfamiliar blonde.

Kise heard none of it and continued to cuddle Kuroko. "I miss Kurokocchi very very much! Why didn't you tell us where you attended? Why did you suddenly leave? Do you miss me too? How are you? Did you miss me? Do you miss us? How is Seirin treating you?" And the questions continued to spew from Kise's mouth.

"Kise-san, I can't breathe." The poor manager managed to let out with the little breath he had.

"Hey! Are you Kise Risa? From Teikou Middle?" Koganei Saotome asked, dumbfounded.

"Ah?" For a moment, Kise looked up at the seniors and nodded. Then continued to cuddle Kuroko.

"Didn't I say get off of him?" Kagami was getting mad at this point. She pulled at Kuroko by his shirt, but to no avail. Kise clung to him like a koala on a tree. Out of retaliation and frustration, she kicked a basketball towards the two in. Before it could hit either of them, Kuroko deflected it with an Ignite Pass.

"Kagami-san. Please control your temper." Kuroko managed to pull Kise off of himself, only to have her cling at him again.

"Waahh! Kurokocchi! How could you be at a school with such a meanie on your team!"

"What did you just call me, blondie!"

"Kyaa! She's gonna attack me!"

"Kise-san, please calm down. Your panicking is suffocating me."

Rin had had enough and blew off his whistle. "That's enough!" His shout could be heard throughout the gym. "Now..." The ever-growing impatient coach started. "May I ask why you're here? Hopefully not to harass our manager." The last part was a mutter.

"Oh! I came to see how Kurokocchi is doing~" She _ cheerfully. However, her eyes formed into slits and turned towards Kagami dangerously. "But it seems I could only misjudge this school by it's outwards appearance." She stood from her spot and looked back at Kuroko. "Join me at Kaijou."

* * *

_A/N: I'm gonna end it off here. It's already almost 9 here and I still have tons of assignments to do. October will not have many updates (if at all). I have __**three **__games per week, back to back. It's exhausting... Has anyone read ToraDora? The female protagonist's name it Taiga too! How cute! For the record, I look up the sex of the name (not that it should matter). If they stayed the same, it's because it's unisex and/or I got too lazy to be creative. _

_I apologize for the short chapter and long Author's notes!_


	10. To Meet Once Again

_A/N: So, after winning my tennis match (and my friend to dance for me in celebration to my return~), I just HAVE to write. Such a good day (although I should be doing my Calculus work, hahah). Even if he/she isn't really a part of Kiseki, I want to write about the day Kagami and Kuroko reunited! That'd be fun~ (^ ^)_  
_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

Kuroko looked up at his former player and blinked once. Twice, before he stood, brushed himself off, and looked her in the eyes.

"I apologize, but I must decline." He bowed politely.

Crocodile tears began streaming out of Kise's eyes. "Waahh! It feels like I was just rejected!" She latched herself to Kuroko again like a Koala to a tree nuzzled him. "Whyyy?" The blonde player whined. Their audience watched on in their confused, yet curious state.

He patted the top of her head. "Because I made a very important promise to someone." Kuroko looked over to Kagami, who, in turn, blushed beat red. Everyone's attention followed Kuroko's stare, especially Kise's.

_"Meh, I'm ready to take on those Generation, Kiseki, whatever chicks you're talking about." Kagami announced to Kuroko on their first night together at Maji Burger. It was a coincidental meeting, with her nearly choking on his sudden appearance. Kuroko had explained to her who Kiseki was and what they've become. It was a depressing tale, but Kagami, unable to sense the mood, retorted with a declaration of "I'm going to beat them and become number one in Japan!" _

_"Kagami-san. You play very well." Kuroko brought up while they were waiting for the cross-walk sign to turn green, signaling an 'okay' to cross the street. _

_"Heh... You told me that a while back, y'know?" She grinned wildly at him. He gave her a small smile._

_"So you do remember that." _

_"Of course..." Silence. "Hey, Kuroko?" _

_"Yes, Kagami-san?" _

_"If I were to play Kiseki at my current level, how would I fare against them?" _

_"You'd be crushed within an instant." _

_"You didn't have to answer that quickly!" _

_"It is true." Kuroko took a minute of silence to collect his thoughts. "However, you have great potential." They crossed the street towards a nearby neighborhood. He stopped and turned to face her. She stopped and looked up at his looming figure. "Kagami-san. I may not play very well, and I may only be a manager now, but I will support you all the way. I'll be your shadow." _

_Three days later, Kagami looked out the window from her seat as people gathered around other windows to see a sight to behold outside. _

_Written on the ground of the school ground in bold letters, "I will make you number one in Japan." _

_The red haired girl smiled and returned to her 1000 yen sandwich. Her only thought of the day was 'What a peculiar guy.'_

Her frown turned into a grimace as Kise looked at Kuroko smiling towards Kagami. It made her blood boil at the very thought of having someone like Kagami pinning for Kuroko as well.

"I see... So Kagami is special..." Kise muttered under her breath. She released her hold of Kuroko and picked up a nearby ball and passed it to Kagami with more force than necessary. "One game. I wanna see how 'special' this girl is." She declared. The small forward removed her blazer, rolled up the sleeves of her uniform shirt, and tied her hair into a messy bun.

"Wait, no, stop! Kagami don't you-" Rin tried to stop them from having a match, but Kagami cut him off.

"Bring it!" As impulsive as she was, Kagami did not know what she was getting herself into.

"Kise-san. You shouldn't play."

"Kurokocchi shouldn't stop me." She replied dangerously while looking dangerously at Kagami.

"No, I meant to say, you shouldn't play. You're only wearing a skirt." Kuroko pointed out. Kise looked down and, indeed, she was still wearing a skirt. She 'tch'-ed at her misfortune and glared at Kagami.

"I guess we'll have to settle this at our practice match."

"Don't act all high and mighty, dammit!"

* * *

(Author-san cannot write any kinda actiony scene for the life of her. In other words, I'm gonna skip the basketball playing. You guys know how it goes in the manga/anime right? Great. I'm skipping to when Seirin celebrated their victory. Since Kuroko doesn't play, he didn't sustain any injuries like in the canon /bows )

* * *

"Kuroko, wake up!" Hyuuga cried out to her falled manager. After two bites of the very juicy and "steakilicious" (as Izuki dubbed it) steak, the light-blunette had taken a knock out.

The rest of the team held their own fairly well compared to Kuroko, but their conditions were not any better. Mitobe Ritsuka was out cold. Koganei Saotome was looking very green in the face. Izuki tried to get her mind off of her upset stomach by reciting old puns in her head; it wasn't working. The freshmen trio were in separate stages of agony. Tsuchida and Hyuuga were still eating, but with much hesitation. Rin had finished his steak and was working through his desert.

"I...I don't know how to go on..." Hyuuga moaned in desperation. It was too much, and she still had about three-quarters to go.

"I don't think there will be enough laps to help me get my figure back anymore..." Koganei cried to herself.

"Hey, if you guys don't want it, mind if I eat it?" Everyone's ears perked at those magic words. Returning back to consciousness, Seirin's girl's basketball team looked over to Kagami and her empty plate. As if taking that as a sign of confirmation, Kagami grabbed Kuroko's plate first and worked her way through it effortlessly, stuffing her cheeks like a squirrel. The looks on everyone's faces were completely awestruck, except for Kuroko.

"You really are from America, good gosh..." Rin murmured as he watched Kagami go for Hyuuga's plate next.

"...Kagami-san is very cute in the way she eats." Kuroko blurted out, unthinking of the meaning behind his words.

Unfortunately for Kagami, the whole team heard him and began giggling and chuckling. The girl in question, on the other hand, sputtered out her steak and blushed fiercely.

"Kurokoooo! Watch what you say, dammit!" She pointed an accusing finger at the perpetrator while swallowing a gulp of water.

"Kagami~ No need to be shy, sweetie~" Koganei sauntered her way over to Kagami and place a consulting arm around her shoulders. "There's no need to hide your love for our precious manager over there!" And with her other hand, she motioned towards him.

"Heh. It's pretty obvious, Kagami." Rin added to their conversation. He was grinning ear to ear at Kagami's embarrassment. "No need to be shy about it though, you're merely a maiden in love~" He exaggerated, causing Kagami to sputter more incoherent denials.

"You're wrong!"

* * *

Kuroko, in need of fresh air and a chance to walk around after eating some of his steak, had slipped out the restaurant while everyone else inside was occupied in their conversations. Walking out the door of the restaurant, he caught sight of a familiar blonde player leaning against the street rail.

"Ah, Kurokocchi! I've been waiting for you." An empty smile played on her lips. "Do you mind walking with me for a bit?"

* * *

"Tch, that Kuroko. Disappearing out of no where again." Rin sneered as he walked out the door of the restaurant with his phone at hand. He looked at the very brief message Kuroko had left him.

"Oi, where's Kuroko?" Kagami was the next to walk out the restaurant. She looked over to her coach and grew curious as to why he was frowning at his phone.

When Rin heard Kagami's voice and her question, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards as an idea formed in his head."Kuroko-kun left. He left to walk to Kise somewhere. Says not to wait for us." Even though the last part was fictional, Rin couldn't help but say that just to entice a reaction out of Kagami.

And it worked.

"What! No, wait! What the hell is he doing being all friendly with the enemy!"

* * *

_A/N: I'm mad that I haven't met my word count quota, but I've stalled on writing this for too long. In fact, this is pathetically low... I'll make it up with a longer chapter next time! OTL;;_

_ Following the canon, even just a little bit, is too hard and it makes me lose my inspiration/motivation to write, so I'm just gonna go all out. On a lighter note, I've won my third game in a row today! _  
_Next chapter: What they'll talk about and etc etc._


	11. Hectic

_A/N: So yeah... This is the end of the intro or whatever I was going for. lol _

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Kurokocchi." Kise stopped at a railing nearby a street court. Kuroko, who was following behind her the whole time, stopped next to her and looked at her with all his attention. "Can I ask Kurokocchi a few questions?"

"You may."

"Why did Kurokocchi leave us after we won championships?" She turned back to look her former-coach in the face. However, as always, it was passive.

Kuroko was silent for some while, until he finally answered with a question. "Kise-san. Did you notice what was going on at that time?"

"Eh... erm..." Before Kise pointed out that it didn't answer her question, her mind blanked and she shook her head 'no'.

"You all improved so far, it was only a matter of time before I would no longer be needed."

At that, Kise jumped in surprise and exclaimed "Why would you think that! Do you honestly think we'd abandon you like that!"

Kuroko gave her a sad smile and looked over at the very lively court. Three teenagers, possibly middle schoolers, were playing a game of street ball, not minding their surroundings whilst being lost in the game.

"Kise-san. Your talents began to blossom at that time, especially _her's_. After _she _grew and conquered the court, you all did as well. It was as if the game we all loved became a chore. Winning was guaranteed at that time." He explained briefly. Kise's eyes grew wider, but she made no action of objection. It was true. Winning is key was their motto back in Teikou.

"Kurokocchi..." She lifted a hand towards him but stopped halfway. What would she do? Hug him? Hold his hand? Put a consoling hand on his shoulder?

Kise did nothing. She was unsure of what to do with Kuroko in this state.

"But it's okay."

"Huh?" Her eyes followed his head as it rose from its downcast. His eyes lit up along with the sunset.

"I have Kagami-san to help." And along with that light came a look of determination.

Kise was speechless.

* * *

"Damn that Kuroko."

Kagami took a break from her extraneous search for Kuroko. She wasn't sure why, but even after Rin trying to assure her that Kuroko would be fine by himself, Kagami just **had **to look for him regardless.

She looked over at a park with a couple of middle schoolers playing streetball and a sense of nostalgia washed over her.

"Heh... I missed those days." Momentarily forgetting her search for Kuroko, she walked over to watch the boys play. However, with further inspection, she saw a familiar mop of blue hair beyond the park. It was only then that she realized who it was.

She didn't think twice before running after him and giving him a brief scolding.

* * *

"Geez, you idiot! Seriously! Don't pull that stunt again!" Kagami scolded at her manager for his recklessness, even if he already told everyone else that he would be leaving without them. At present, Kuroko was walking Kagami back to her home, their usual routine. At first, she'd constantly refuse him and tell him that she'll 'be fine on her own', but later grew accustomed to their usual routine.

"I understand. I will alert Kagami-san next time I run away from everyone." He nodded and looked up at their destination. "We are here."

"You better, and wait... what?" Kagami looked up and suddenly realized that they're reached her home sooner than usual. She turned back around to thank Kuroko, only to be met with air. "That bastard ran off again!" Her phone went off in that moment.

**I ran away.** **Have a good night, Kagami-san.**

'_….that idiot._

* * *

Several Weeks later

* * *

"Ah, Kagami! Stop moving for a minute!" Rin called out to their ace. Kagami stopped in mid-jump and directed her attention to their coach. "Your shoes are kinda messed up." He pointed out. Kuroko looked up from his clipboard to see that, indeed, Kagami's right shoe had a giant gash on the side.

The girl, herself, looked down in dismay to see that her favourite pair of basketball shoes were torn apart. "No! Shit!"

"Watch your language, you damn first year!"

"Captain..." Koganei weakly called out to her captain to point out that she was not being very... lady-like, herself.

Rin sighed. "Kagami-chan. I'll excuse you from the rest of practice, since we have a game tomorrow, to get shoes. You can't play in that condition and it'd certainly be bad for us and yourself if you were to get injured."

"Then shouldn't I practice some more!"

"Kagami-san. I'll accompany you in your shopping." Kuroko intervened. Coach was extremely relieved that Kuroko offered; she will surely agree to go shopping for shoes then.

And it was true. From the look on her face, Kagami grew slightly red and gave a reluctant but quiet "okay" and walked off to the locker rooms to change.

"Ah, young love." Tsuchida commented from the court with Mitobe silently nodding in agreement.

"Kuroko-kun~ You sly dog, you!" Rin patted their manager on the back and his face broke out into a large grin. "Hope you get to ask her out when you two are on your mini-date!"

"Be sure to treat the wild tiger to a _wild_ date." Izuki called out from the sidelines. (Author-san would like to apologize for the poor pun. OTL) That gave Hyuuga an opportunity to punch their foolish point guard.

"You idiot! As if Kuroko would pull a stunt like that when they're only firs-!"

"Understood. I will make sure she has a good time." Kuroko responded to Izuki's not-serious statement. It was innocent coming from Kuroko, but some members (Koganei, Rin, Hyuuga, etc.) took it the wrong way and a very uniformed chorus of screeching and screaming could be heard from Seirin's only gym.

Kagami took that moment to run into the court in haste to see what was happening.

In her uniform skirt and button-up shirt.

That was unbuttoned.

Showing her bra for the entire team to see.

It ended in complete chaos.

* * *

"Ah, dammit. I can't believe coach gave me tripled training tomorrow!" Kagami complained while walking with Kuroko to the train station to go to the closest shopping district with a quality sporting goods store. She looked over to Kuroko with remorse. "I really am sorry..."

He looked down at her with his only opened eye. "It is fine. I never would've thought Hyuuga-san would be the one to do this...much."

After the fiasco with Kagami's undergarment being shown, Rin had been lecturing Kagami on self-awareness and 'that if anything DID happen, rushing out half-naked was not the solution.' However, Hyuuga, standing next to Kuroko had half-slapped, half-punched Kuroko in the face, telling him to 'close his damned, perverted eyes'. Not that Rin had it any easier. Afterwards, realizing her mistake, Hyuuga promptly apologized to Kuroko for her mistake and falsely accusing him of being a pervert.

"_Heh... Kuroko as a pervert." Koganei laughed at the very thought. _

"_That, in itself, is a joke." Izuki giggled._

"What size do you wear? It looks like you'd need a fairly large size from what I could tell." Kuroko asked in his one-sided conversation. However, Kagami took it the wrong way and assumed he was asking her bra size.

"Kuroko! What the hell are you asking!" She blushed all the way up to her ears and clutched the front of her shirt while looking up at him in surprise. He looked down at her with a blank look and repeated his question.

"I was wondering what Kagami-san's shoe size is. You have a good height and well-built frame. I could assume you don't wear anything below twenty-three (size 7 in America)?"

"Ah... of course... I wear..." She did a mental conversion in her head. "size nine in America... so... 25? I guess?" She answered him, embarrassed. Her grip on the front of her shirt loosened, but the blush on her face remained. '_Calm down, Bakagami! It's only Kuroko! Why the ever loving hell is my hear beating so fast!_' She thought frantically as Kuroko led her towards the train.

It was slightly crowded due to people began to get off work, and Kagami was standing by Kuroko whilst grasping the handle above her head. She would occasionally take glances at him and notice little features about him. Like how large his eyes were, how his light-blue eyes contrasted her dark-red eyes, how he had a very cute, round face, or how he focused his attention on the words of his book. She thought about how they were almost complete opposites of each other, but complimented one another very well. He calmed her down when she began to lose her cool. He would almost always take time after school to practice with her at a local street court. He would accompany her to dinner fairly often.

'_He's really not a bad guy..._' She thought with slight admiration. Kagami smiled tenderly and looked away from her manager for a moment. A few minutes after she had calmed her beat-red face, she felt a foreign object against her behind. She jumped for a minute in shock and turned to punch out the asshole groping her butt, only to see several people minding their own business or occupied with their own conversations. The two school girls that were chatting away behind her didn't look suspicious, nor the young boy holding his mother's hand with his left hand, and the other holding his school bag. The hot-headed girl turned back around. She felt anxious on the train and it was clearly shown on her face to anyone paying attention.

Of course, Kuroko was. He silently observed her from the corner of his functioning eye after he notice her getting startled and turning around suspiciously. It was as clear as day that she was being harassed and he did not appreciate that. However, they were in a train packed with people, and making a scene would not be ideal.

"Kagami-san. Over here. It seems there is more space here." The manager grabbed on to Kagami's wrist and maneuvered them towards a wall. He had Kagami's back against the wall, facing him, while he loomed over her, shielding her from any molesters. His arm was placed on the wall behind Kagami to support him in the unsteady train. Whenever the train would make a sharp turn or when people would bump into him from behind, Kuroko would always accidentally stumble too close to Kagami. There was even an instance where their faces were close enough for a kiss.

But Kuroko didn't think too much into it. He would merely apologize every time he was too close. Kagami was a different story. Her face grew warmer every time he was only a few centimeters away from her. She blamed the heat in her face on the lack of space in the train car.

It was going to be a very long train ride at this rate.

* * *

_A/N: Kagami, you adorbs thing, you. _

_I apologize for any mistakes or errors in this fic OTL _


	12. Precious Mascot

_A/N: Brain-dead. OTL I'm swamped with school work piling up from my sick days. This is gonna be an actual series of one-shots now. Some in chronological order, some not. I'll let y'all know. _

_I am incapable of genderbending Kiyoshi (Qw Q) He's just so... yeah. So I guess you could say that I'm gonna include Kiyoshi/Fem!Hyuuga. (and subtle Kiyoshi/Male!Riko as a joke)_

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Oi, has anyone seen Kuroko-kun?" Hyuuga called out in the midst of practice. At first, she assumed their _lovely_ manager had just used misdirection on them and camouflaged himself in the background. Everyone took note of their surroundings and could not find Kuroko anywhere in sight.

"Ah. I guess he's just a no-show today." Izuki shrugged to herself, passing the ball back to Mitobe who nodded in agreement.

Unsure of everyone's reason for Kuroko being absent, with the exception of Kagami who looked disappointed, Rin took the liberty of doing a one-eighty and head towards the exit to search for the tiny manager, only to run into the phantom himself.

"Oi! Sorry about that—Kuroko!" He exclaimed when he saw the small boy on the ground, clutching something in his arms.

"Yes, it is I." He joked dryly, for someone who claimed to be bad with jokes.

At the mention of Kuroko's name, Kagami was the first to direct her attention towards the only two males (and hitting poor Furihata in the boobs) and felt her heart beat faster in happiness, feeling her face flush slightly.

"Where've you been?" Tsuchida asked, walking towards her manager to give him a hand.

"Ah, I found this little guy on the side of the road." He held up the object that was in his arms.

A small, Siberian husky puppy stared up at everyone with round, ocean blue eyes, panting.

A chorus of squeals could be heard from Seirin's only gym.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMY GOSH! HE'S SOOOOOOO CUUUU~~UUTE!" It was Rin to snatch the puppy from Kuroko's grasp, held him in the air, and spun in circles.

"Coooaaacch! No fair! I want to hold him too!" Koganei cried out, reaching out for the puppy.

"Hey, I heard a commotion, what's up?" Kiyoshi Teppei ran into the gym, spotting a crowd around his childhood friend. "Eehh? You guys have a mascot now? No fair." He joked as he watched the team fight for an opportunity to hold the puppy in Rin's hands.

"Ah. Hello, senpai." Kuroko turned and bowed in greeting to Kiyoshi."

"Yo, sup Kuroko. I'm guessing this is your doing?" He nodded. "It looks like everyone's in high spirits with the new addition to the team!" Kiyoshi smiled in glee as he watched the girl's team plus Rin playing with the energetic puppy.

"Er..." Hyuuga, excluding herself from the embarrassing display of affection toward the undeniably cute puppy, tapped on the shoulders of the two males and motioned her head in the direction of a trembling, huddled mess in the corner. "Not everyone."

There, in the far corner of Seirin's basketball gym, was Kagami Taiga. She was shaking whilst hugging her knees to her chest, turned away from everyone else. Kuroko was the first to check on her personally.

"Kagami-san. Are you alright?"

"Ah... yeah..." She replied, not meeting his gaze. "I just had a bad... experience with dogs back in America..." When she turned to face Kuroko properly, she was met with same, ocean blue eyes, but not from the same species. Her brain had shut down for a moment before returning in English mode.

"SWEET JESUS KUROKOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

"I apologize for my errors." He was bowing before Hyuuga, of whom was holding a sobbing mess in her arms that was Kagami, while sporting a large bump on his head.

"Geez, Kuroko. You gotta watch how you treat a girl." Rin sighed while petting the puppy in his arms as it laid in contentedness.

"I had only meant to tease, forgive me, Kagami-san." Although he still held no emotion in his voice, it was apparent that he did regret his action.

Sniff. "Stupid Kuroko..."

"Welp, if Kagami's against it, I'm not too sure we can keep the dog." The co-captain shook her head in disappointment at the thought of having to let it go.

It was Koganei's turn to hold the puppy, and as she held the small canine in her hands at arms' length, she noticed something peculiar about the dog. "Hey... does this dog look like a certain someone...?" She noted out loud. She placed the dog next to Kuroko's figure from her frame of vision and looked back and forth at the dog and her manager.

The rest of the team including Kiyoshi stood behind Koganei and did the same examination.

They looked at the dog.

Kuroko.

The dog.

Kuroko.

The dog's eyes.

Kuroko's eyes.

_Click_.

"THEY LOOK ALIKE!" Koganei, Izuki, Rin, the freshman trio, and Tsuchida shouted in unison, with Hyuuga only adding in "Shit! We're getting attached! Now we can't abandon it!", and Kiyoshi's casual laughter. Mitobe and Kuroko stared.

"No no no no no no nooooo!" Kagami uncharacteristically squealed. It was obvious her fear of dogs ran deep.

"We need a name for him~" Izuki piqued in, despite Kagami's blatant protests.

"Well... we can't call him Kuroko, since it'll get confusing..." Koganei plastered on a serious face and contemplated a name for the puppy. "Ohh! How about Tetsuya Nigou! Since he looks so much like Kuroko."

"I like the idea!" Furihata replied, excited about naming the dog. She picked up Nigou and held him about her head. "Starting today, you will be Nigou! How does that sound?"

"Arf!" His first bark since he arrived and everyone felt elated that he liked his name already.

Except Kagami, of course.

"Noooooo!" Kagami clung to Kiyoshi's back to shield herself from Nigou, despite the dog being several meters away from her.

"Girls... You know it's not ideal for us to keep the dog if Kagami isn't comfortable with it." Rin called out. He took out his hair pins keeping his bangs in place out and rubbed sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. It was a hard choice to just get rid of such an adorable puppy...

"Coach. If I could convince Kagami-san to grow used to Nigou, could we keep him then?" Kuroko persisted. He was determined to keep Nigou around if it kept everyone this happy.

"Eh? Well, fine."

"_Cooooaaaacccchhh!_"

"But you have one day. I don't want this to disrupt practice."

"Understood."

"_Kuroko!_"

* * *

"Come on, ladies! Show 'em what you got!" Hyuuga called from the front of the line.

They were doing their usual morning-before-practice jogs around the neighborhood to build up their stamina.

"Go Seirin!" Everyone cheered together. A small bark could be heard amidst the crowd of girls.

"Ohh! Nigou can shout with us! Good doggie!" Izuki complimented the puppy cheerfully.

"It so refreshing to have a pet running with us, wouldn't you agree Kaga-**miiiii**" Koganei screeched the last syllable of Kagami's name when she turned to see how far back their ace was from the team.

"Oh my..."

* * *

"Nice shot, Hyuuga!" Rin called out as Hyuuga did another three-pointer during a mini match among the team members.

Nigou barked, as if agreeing with Rin.

"Ehh? He knows what's going on?"

"Ahh, we have a smart doggie on our team! So cute!" Koganei responded as she passed the ball to Mitobe who nodded wordlessly in agreement. She then tossed the ball over to Kagami.

"Tch. Dumb dog's just getting lucky." She scoffed as she aimed for the hoop. Just as she was about to shoot, Nigou barked, shocking her into angling the ball into the wrong direction and towards the ceiling.

"Kagami-san. That's not the hoop." Kuroko jotted something down on his clipboard.

"Shut _uuuuupppp!_"

* * *

Kagami plopped down on the bench of Seirin's court and stared out into space. It was a tiring day for her, more-so than usual with the dog running around everywhere and Kuroko basically bullying her the whole way through.

"Kagami-san." Kagami looked to her right to see Kuroko with the dog held securely in his arms.

Just being within four meters of Nigou was enough to make her jump out of her seat.

"It's okay, Kagami-san. I will hold on to him." He sat a good two meters from her with Nigou in his lap. "Kagami-san. Nigou really is not a bad dog."

"Tch. Right. Good luck convincing me that."

"He has not done anything bad to you directly."

"He took a shit in my shoes!"

"..."

With perfect timing, Kiyoshi had called for Kuroko about training for boys' basketball season.

"Ah, I will be right back, Kagami-san. Please do not leave Nigou alone." And before the brash girl could retort, Kuroko had left within the blink of an eye.

"Shit... That jerk..." She sulked, scooting further from Nigou who only stared at her with his tongue hanging from his mouth. "Hmph!" Pouting down at her ruined shoes, Kagami noticed a gash on the side of her shoes. "Eh?" Upon closer examination, the wear and tear of the shoe was from the countless times she wore her shoes for practice. She looked over to Nigou. "You... knew about this didn't you...?" She knew it was ridiculous speaking to her sworn enemy like that, but she had a rising suspicion that he knew about the tear.

'_Now that I think about it, training was as rigorous as usual, but everyone seemed more cheerful today. Less tired out... And it was probably thanks to this guy..._' Kagami rose a hand to pet Nigou, and as her hand neared the puppy's head, a tongue gently swiped across her palm.

* * *

"Well will you look at that."

Kagami made a shot from the three-pointer line and Nigou barked happily. She looked over at the dog and scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"I agree. It looks like they're getting along." Kuroko agreed. Kagami looked over at him and flashed a bright, wide grin. He smiled back at her—causing her to stumble in awe and fluster—as his phone went off in his pocket. He looked down to see a text message from a familiar name.

**Sub:Tetsuya**

**From: Akashi**

**Mother and father desperately wants to see you. I am coming to pick you up from the station this weekend. No objections, Tetsuya. **

He felt himself rereading the message to be sure it was true.

Kyoto.

This weekend.

Which was in two days.

'_Akashi-san sure does like to surprise me._' He thought dejectedly and replied with a brief 'okay'.

"Ah! Kuroko!" He looked up from his text message to see their ace in front of him, red in the face. Everyone else had left, probably for a water break. "Um... I just want to say... t-thank... y...ou. For helping me overcome my... fear of dogs. N-not that it was for your sake! I just thought it was point-pointless to stay scared after s-s-so long!" She stuttered. He only briefly nodded, accepting her thanks wordlessly. Kagami sighed. "And... as thanks..." She craned her neck a bit and pecked him on the cheek. "Th-there!" And promptly ran off. He smiled fondly at her blushing face.

'_How innocent._'

* * *

_NG (Omake):_

"_Awww! Look at Kuroko staring down at his phone like that!" Koganei squealed at how adorable her little junior was when he was completely unaware of his surroundings. _

"_I agree. He has quite the baby face." Izuki nodded in agreement, wiping off the sweat from her upperlip. _

"_I wonder who he's texting, must be someone important for him to be so focused on the text." Tsuchida added. _

"_Must me his girlfriend~" Koganei teased, looking over at Kagami for a reaction. _

_And she received her prize in the form of a blushing, stuttering ace. _

"_I-i-it can't be!" She cried out. There was no way Kuroko could have a girlfriend! He was always with her—er. The basketball team! Mitobe patted her back to assure her that it probably wasn't a girl._

"_Ohh~ Maybe it's Kiyoshi! Have you noticed how close they've gotten?" Fukuda contributed to the conversation excitedly. _

_Everyone took that into consideration and some smiled lewdly while others blushed in embarrassment at the thought. _

"_Well, I guess it's time for a water break!" Hyuuga announced with her face flushed. _

"_Yeah! Kagami should stay behind while we get some! Gives you some alone time with Kuroko!" Koganei pat their ace on the shoulder and ran off, along with everyone else._

_'_Kuroko... and... Kiyoshi..._' Kagami was frozen at the thought of the two having anything other than a good friendship, but when she snapped back to reality, she was alone in the gym. With Kuroko. _

_'__**Daammmiiiiittt!**__'_

* * *

_A/N: asdfghjkl sorry for taking so long orz Next up is Akashi! And if you have any suggestions, don't be afraid to share! I like reading y'all's ideas. _

_In fact, I am hooked on Kiseki-no-seduction. I just love reading their posts and it just gives me ideas everytime! (The date-with-takao-on-a-rollercoaster one killed me though. Hahah)_


	13. Fear: Disappearance

_A/N: I don't know what to do for the next chapter! Give me suggestions on who should be featured in the next chapter (be it a member of Kiseki, or anyone new) _

_My 13th chapter at the end of 2012 LOL_

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

"Er... Akashi-san... Are you sure about my going to Kyoto for the weekend?" Kuroko asked. He stood by Tokyo's train station while looking at a familiar red head. Her bangs remained the same, if not longer, but her hair had been shorten to shoulder length with the ends curling inwards. She was as beautiful as ever, but her eyes still gave off a menacing aura.

"If I was not sure, Tetsuya, I would not be standing right here, now would I?" She replied smoothly, putting anymore resistance he would have to a halt. "...I do not recall allowing you to refer to me anything other than my given name." The former Teikou captain smiled dangerously at him, not that it had much effect on him.

"I assume it was for the duration that I stayed at your home for the night, considering the fact that it'd be 'confusing' to refer to you as your surname with your family present." He replied back. To anyone else, it would sound like Kuroko was being a smart-mouth to Akashi, but she knew better. He was answering her bluntly, nothing more.

But that did not mean she was satisfied with his answer.

"I am, and always will be 'Seika' to you, Tetsuya. Do you understand?" She sauntered up to him and looked up at him with those threatening eyes yet again. He looked down and met her gaze with equal intensity, but the message he conveyed was not the same. Stunning, electric blue eyes met red and orange ones.

Her outer appearance betrayed her inner thoughts, however.

'_You won't stop calling me Seika, will you Tetsuya? You won't...move on, will you? Tetsuya..._' Her conscious wondered, almost desperately.

Kuroko sighed, allowing his hot breath to accidentally graze Akashi's face. "Let us board the train. I would hate to leave your parents waiting any longer."

* * *

As he boarded the train, his seat across from Akashi, Kuroko's phone vibrated from within his pocket. He pulled it out to see two text messages; one from Kagami, another from Kiyoshi.

**Sub: Have a safe trip**

**From: Kagami Taiga**

**Have fun in Kyoto... and bring back a souvenir! ...Take care...**

**Sub: Yo~**

**From Kiyoshi-senpai**

**Yo~ Have fun on your date (^_ -)b **

Kuroko did not understand the implications of the last text, but Kagami's message made him smile lightly. Typical Kagami.

It wasn't until he felt the seat sink a little bit that he looked up from his phone to see Seika sitting next to him instead of across.

"Tetsuya..."

"Yes?" He was clearly avoiding using her name.

"I'm tired." And she was. From traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo to pick up Kuroko. Although it wasn't necessary, she absolutely had to see him. To know that he was not part of a long dream. To know that his disappearance wasn't because the dream ended. To know that he is real. To know that, when he left Teikou, it would not be the last time she would see him. Although she had his number in her phone, it was not enough. Akashi Seika absolutely **must** confirm Kuroko's existence.

Because that's just how they are. Kuroko was the driving force of the team that hid in the shadows, and that even applied to outside of basketball; he would just disappear. He could be there, he may not be there. And, although she claims not to be afraid of anything, Akashi was scared of one thing, whether she admits it or not;

she was terrified of the thought that Kuroko would up and walk out of her life for good, as if he was never there.

A similar occurrence happened after he had quit coaching their middle school basketball team. When the new coach—what's her face or another—had announced that she was going to replace Kuroko as the coach for the team, she felt her face pale and her blood grow cold. When he left, all she thought about was '_Was he ever even there?_'

She was snapped out of her reverie when a hand was placed on her head and directed it over to a firm shoulder.

Kuroko could see her shoulders lightly trembling and that her eyes were glazed with tears threatening to fall from her blank face. She was obviously having a bad memory of something. He assumed it was from the fatigue of losing sleep for his sake, so he took the liberty of placing her head on his shoulder.

She took the chance and carefully shut her eyes, falling into a blissful sleep. No words were needed to be exchanged.

* * *

"_Seika."_

"_Mm... Tetsuya?" Akashi's eyes slowly opened to the same darkness. When her vision returned to her, she saw that it was only night and the moon illuminated the room partially, allowing her eyes to adjust to the lack-of lighting. _

_Were they naked? No, she could feel her undergarments on, and Kuroko still had a shirt. She felt relieved, and at the same time, slightly disappointed. _

_She was lying in a bed. There were arms wrapped around her bare shoulders, but it was hard to see his face with her back turned to him. _

_But it wasn't as if she did not know who it was. _

"_Tetsuya..." The sleepy teen turned in his arms to face him. When her eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, she could see his beautiful, half-lidded blue eyes staring at her. His face was within close proximity, and within kissing range; she could smell __fresh green mango with a hint of lotus flower. It lingered for a bit and disappeared the next minute, but it's presence still lingered._

_'_Just like him, huh..._' Her eyes fluttered shut as she lost herself in him. _

_She scooted closer to his chest to get a better whiff of him, but as she got closer, the scent was gone. Akashi tried to open her eyes but was met with pure darkness, as if someone was shielding her eyes from something. _

"_Seika..." She felt her blindfold being kissed. "I'm right here." _

_She choked out a sob. Where did that come from? "Tetsuya...!"_

"_Seika. You don't need to see me. I promise I'm always here." She tried desperately to free her arms to tear away the offending blindfold, but his arms around her held her in place. _

_'_I need to see him... I need to see his face...! I need to see that he's rea-!_' But her movements halted when a hand guided her own to a firm chest. _

"_Seika-san. I'm real. You don't need to see me to know that I'm here." She could feel a heartbeat. A real, pulsing, pounding heartbeat. Her hand was then moved and she could feel lips gingerly placed on each and every finger. _

"_I'm here." Kiss. "I'm here." Kiss._

_He repeated the motion on each finger, chanting the same line to assure her that he was right there, not a figment of her imagination. _

"_Tetsuya..."_

* * *

"Akashi-san. Wake up, we've arrived."

Her eyes flicked open to a red, yellow, orange, and pink sky before her eyes.

"Mmm... Tetsuya...?" She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, and sat up and stretched in her seat.

Boarding off the train and meeting Akashi's parents was expected. They greeted him with a warm smile.

"Good to see you again, Tetsuya."

* * *

"Akashi-san, why do I have a weird feeling that this has happened before..." It wasn't even a serious question, obviously rhetorical.

"Then I guess we'll have to familiarize you with this feeling, wouldn't we, Tetsuya?"

She was sprawled across his body with her legs straddling his own. Her head was on his chest as she listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. Her eyes were half-lidded. Her body shook as she chuckled.

"It's alright, Tetsuya. I won't pull anything this time." She snuggled closer to him, embracing the scent that is Kuroko. Before she fell into a deep sleep, she muttered to herself, "After all, I have my whole life, now that I know that you're here..."

* * *

_A/N: Old news, but Kise, Midorima, Kuroko, Kagami, and Aomine are getting a perfume line... That's where I got Kuroko's smell from (lol) _

_Kay, idea for a series of one-shots. Yay. Planning it's gonna be a pain though lol_

_Last update of the year, y'all (this would sound so alarming if it wasn't the 31__st__...)_


	14. Summer Outing

_A/N: Aahhhh~ Sorry for such a long delay! I am seriously out of ideas on how to continue this and /excuses excuses. It's exam period here so I should be back to writing relatively soon! _

_Due to popular demand, this chapter is for Midorima~ Poor thing needs a turn eventually. _

_The latest chapters of Kurobasu... yeah disregard that lol for now. Fem!Midorima is a childhood friend too in this instance~_

_Some one-sided MidoTaka in this story because I am a big fan of that ship and Takao's just so precious and I couldn't make him into a girl even if I tried (I mean, have you __**seen**__ them biceps? Hot damn.) _

_So, and this is only hypothetical and up for consideration, I'll only really genderbend Kiseki and a few characters here and there. That means the Crownless generals would probably have to stay male. Maybe. _

_Oh, and I changed names ever since~ This is still Alina-hime!_

_Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki_

* * *

She was staring at some stranger in the mirror, the bespectacled girl concluded. There was no way in hell that could be her.

"Shino~ So cute! I'm sure Tetsuya-kun will be happy to see you!" Her mother exclaimed happily, touching up the last ornament in her hair.

Their parents had arranged for the two childhood friends to meet and spend lost time together at the summer festival in their town. She was reluctant, seeing it inappropriate that a boy and a girl go to a festival alone together. Unfortunately for her, her mother and even her ever protective father did not object to it and accepted the idea. Her mother claimed it "_an excellent time to make her feelings come across to Tetsuya-kun!_" And that the two teens have not spent enough time together ever since they graduated middle school.

"Tetsuya-kun should be arriving any minute now." At the mere mention of Kuroko seeing her in her current state, the girl reflexively held her string purse up to her face, hiding the growing blush. Her mother chuckled at how adorable her bashful daughter was being.

The doorbell rang and she could feel her heart racing a mile a minute.

* * *

"Midorima-san. Are you sure you are okay in those shoes?" Kuroko asked with some concern. He was walking a little behind her but to the side, to assure that he would be able to catch her if she were to fall over from the uncomfortable sandals she was sporting.

"O-of course I am!" Midorima lied and they both knew it. She was the very epitome of uncomfortable at that moment. Her yukata was very light and airy, something she was not used to. The pastel green fabric was adorned and embedded with blue flowers with dark green stems and leaves lining each flowers. Her obi was a light baby blue and tied subtly, matching her baby blue fish string purse (her lucky item for the day). Her usually braided green hair was tied into a fairly messy bun ("_Mother! This is very disorderly!_") decorated with a flowery pin combed into it. Given her usual style, this was a very modern look for her and she could not stop blushing from how she thought Kuroko would see her. Her makeup was very light, considering how she already had beautiful features of a traditional Japanese girl her age. The only parts her mother chose to play with were her lips and upper eyelashes – giving the lips a small smear of lip gloss and her upper lashes a touch up to compliment her lower lashes. If it were not for her clumsy stumbling in uncomfortable shoes, her appearance and posture could pass her as an elegant model.

In that moment, her phone went off to signal that she received a text message. "Excuse me for a moment, Kuroko." He nodded wordlessly and she took out her phone to check the message, only to blush an even deeper shade of red.

**From: Mother **

**Sub: No subject **

**I just so happened to catch a photo of Kuroko's face when he first saw you! How cute. **

Her mother had sent an attached photo of Kuroko when he arrived at her house to pick her up. He was presented with the sight of Midorima in her attire and the picture that was sent to her depicted his expression. In that split second that her mother managed to capture, Kuroko's eyes was wide and his jaw appeared to have slacken by a small bit. The green haired girl tried convincing herself that she was only saving the photo to remember that rare moment that he had shown this much emotion on his face.

"Ah, Midorima-san...!" She felt an arm hold on to shoulder and pull her closer to his warm body. Only her arm managed to be grazed by the streetlight pole that she nearly ran into. "Are you alright, Midorima-san?" He asked with his concern returning.

"Y-yeah. I'm fi-fine..." She stuttered out, remembering that his hand was still on her shoulder, holding her body close to his side. Before she could push him away, he relinquished his grasp and held out an arm to her.

"If you need someone to direct you while you check your messages, you may use my arm to hold on to and I will lead you, if you wish." He offered. Her blush returned full force and she hesitantly and shakily held the sleeve of his buttoned up short sleeve shirt, careful to avoid any direct contact. She stared down at her phone, telling herself that she was only thinking of a message to write back to her mother; it was _not_ an excuse to continue holding his sleeve.

* * *

They arrived to the festival in no time. It was already crowded and Kuroko insisted that she held on to his arm to avoid losing one another.

"I do not wish to worry your family if I were to lose you, Midorima-san." He explained to her, but his words sounded more like a promise of commitment.

"I-idiot." She muttered, holding on to his arm as they traveled from booth to booth together, enjoying the sights.

At one point, the duo arrived at a fish scooping stand. Midorima looked down at the fishes and could not help but be reminded of her Shuutoku uniform when she noticed the shade of orange in the gold fish.

"Would you like one as a pet, Midorima-san?" A soft voice asked from her side and startled her. She had forgotten that Kuroko was by her side.

"It'd be too m-much to care for." She made up an excuse as to not trouble her crush. He nodded, complying to her silent request and continued walking, offering snacks and such.

Time passed and it was nearly the right hour for the fireworks to start. The two walked to a somehow secluded-ish area to watch them together. It was on a remote area of a hilltop and there were a few families, groups, and couples littering the area. Kuroko removed his button up shirt and placed it on the ground, offering it to Midorima to sit on to avoid dirtying her yukata. She did not object, but was reluctant to do so otherwise.

"I will be back, Midorima-san. I will get us some snacks." And with that, he walked off on his own.

Midorima sat there listlessly, staring up and admiring the stars she could faintly see in the Tokyo night sky.

"Shin-chan! Is that you?" A familiar voice called out to her, snapping her out of her reverie. She looked behind her to see Takao and several other senpais from their basketball club. They were a part of the boys half of the basketball club so they had ever rarely interacted with Midorima, but Takao was the only persistent one. He seemed to be walking faster than the rest of the group of boys walking behind him. As he caught up to her, he crouched down and grinned. "I didn't know you were coming to the festival today! Are you alone? With some friends?" He asked, happy to see her. When her senpais approached and greeted her, she nodded in acknowledgment and directed her attention back to Takao.

"No. Of course I wouldn't come here alone, and why would you think I would be with a group?" She asked irritably, but more casually. She was already familiar with Takao, seeing as the pair would always be seen together during school.

What she didn't know was his reason for always tending to her. He clearly liked her, but the girl only regarded him as a friend. His teammates and friends standing behind him were feeling sympathetic towards Takao and his one-sided feelings; they always heard him speak of her so fondly and with so much admiration to the point where Miyaji threatened to shut him up several times.

"Eh? Who are you here with?" Ootsubo asked, looking around for anyone she would seem to know.

"A...friend. He went to get us some snacks." She looked down at the mask Kuroko had gifted her and traced the ridiculous frog face with her taped finger.

"Ah... A friend..." Takao parroted more softly. His sharp, grey eyes were reflecting his disappointment. His 'Shin-chan' seemed to have spoke more gently when she referred to her friend. It did not require his hawk eye to see that she held some special feelings for this friend. Putting on a facade, the boy stood and stretched out his arms and legs form crouching. "Welp, it looks like the fireworks are starting soon. He better get here quick before I save you from loneliness, Shin-chan~" He sing-songed, walking ahead of his teammates with his head held high.

"Thank you, Takao. But that is not necessary. I will see you Monday." She called out to him, saying her goodbyes to her seniors as well as they followed after their fallen ally.

"Is this alright, Takao?" Kimura asked, concerned.

"Yeah... I can't make Shin-chan do anything she doesn't want to do. But man, this does kinda suck." He laughed it off. Although he was obviously heartbroken, he only wished the best for his precious Midorima.

Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he could see the moonlight illuminating her features. He flashed a sad smile and continued walking forward.

"Doesn't mean I'll give up on Shin-chan though~ She's worth the world to me!"

* * *

The fireworks had already begun.

Midorima could only stare up at the bright lights alone.

Before she could actually lose hope that Kuroko had ditched her, she felt a very light presence by her side.

"Kuroko?! You were here the whole time, weren't you!" She cried out angrily, irritating the patrons around her. He shook his head.

"No. Actually, I had just arrived." He held out a steaming plate of takoyaki to prove his point. "I apologize for taking so long," He held out a small, plastic bag filled with water. There was a very small, bright orange goldfish swimming alongside a red-ish fish. "It took some time to win them and I somehow managed to catch two at once." He handed the two goldfishes to her and stared up at the fireworks display before him.

She was completely awestruck at his dedication to win the fishes for her. Grateful for the red fireworks masking her blush, she boldly laid her hand atop Kuroko's between them. Placing the fish by her purse, she reached out for a takoyaki.

"You knew I was here?" He asked, remembering that Midorima noticed his presence almost immediately as he arrived, considering how rare it was that people noticed him at all.

"Of course. We have known each other for how long now?" She pointed out irritably, shoving another takoyaki in her mouth while avoiding his gaze.

His mouth tilted upwards into a small smile as his hand shifted to hold Midorima's hand instead. "I see. Thank you, Shino-san."

He missed the fact that she momentarily choked on her food for a millisecond.

* * *

The two sat like together even after the fireworks show and the number of speculators dwindled, sitting in peaceful silence as they admired the night.

"There is one more takoyaki left, Kur-... Tetsuya." Midorima pointed out, changing the way she addressed him. Looking down at the plate they shared. He looked over at her and insisted that she may take the last one. She puffed out a cheek in frustration at his selflessness and held the snack to his face. "Just take it!"

Feeling it pointless to argue, Kuroko chomped on the meal before him. After chewing and swallowing, he uttered a brief "Thank you for the meal."

Her face became flushed once more upon realization that she had fed him while she was holding his other hand.

Needless to say, she nagged at him the next few minutes about holding his own food.

* * *

Their walk home was filled with complaints and nagging on Midorima's behalf. Kuroko only listened halfheartedly as he held her gifted fish and mask for her, knowing that she was not serious in her complaints.

"Really, it was unnecessary for you to wander off like that. And what made you suddenly change the way you call me? Really, I do not understand you."

"Well, Shino-san had said that we've known each other for a long time." He explained. She sputtered and continued her complaining as they arrived at her apartment building. "Good night, Shino-san. I look forward to watching your team play this upcoming week."

She blushed but did not have an outburst. The green-eyed girls averted her gaze for a moment as her shoulders slumped, collecting her resolve and pulling on the collar of his shirt towards her.

She bumped her lips on his cheeks and cried out a loud "ThankYouForTonightGoodBye." And retreated into the building, rushing over to the elevator without giving Kuroko a chance to respond.

He merely blinked, subtly smiled, and carried on his way home, glad to have seen his childhood friend and get along with her again after so long.

'_She is still as lively as ever._'

* * *

_NG (Omake) : _

"_I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT." Shino's mother cried out happily from their living room. When her daughter had ran into the apartment complex and locked herself in her room from sheer embarrassment. When she had finally exited her bedroom for a shower, she could see her father holding a light, fabric in his hands. It appeared attached to a small crown._

_He noticed where her gaze was directed to and hid it under the coffee table. "This isn't what it seems! I-I'm not preparing for any marriages! Honestly! I don't find Tetsuya-kun to be a worthy man! Not at all!" _

_Shino's mother was giggling and wearing a goofy expression while prodding her husband's cheeks. "Looks like someone's eager~" _


	15. Spend the Day With Me

_A/N: For those of you who have read the manga, this is going to take place a little after the Seirin v. Touou re-match. For those of you who have not read the manga, I will try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but there will be small references to the recent chapters. _

_Also, I apologize for the lack of updates. I've graduated and I'm actually getting ready to move out soon! (^ ^ ) Aaaahhh... So nervous._

_**Also, please vote in the poll I have on my profile for the next chapter. **_

_Kuroko no Basuke (c) Fujimaki_

* * *

The day before, Kuroko had called Aomine to accompany him on buying new basketball shoes for his own upcoming match against Kaijou.

"_You're playing basketball again, Tetsu?" She asked while her cell phone perched on her shoulder while she skimmed through a magazine. _

"_Of course. Managing a team is nice and such, but I like playing as well. I have many interesting teammates." He informed her. It disappointed her to **just** discover that he took up playing again when it was half-way through the season. He had even participated in the Winter Cup and she never knew till then. _

_'_I guess I deserve it, given he hasn't talked to me since middle school._' She thought, not realizing the long silence on the phone. _

"_Aomine-san? Are you still there or are you asleep and you plan on having a high phone bill this month?" He joked in his usual monotone voice. She let out a snort. _

_'_He _so_ has a sense of humour, that liar._' She chuckled out loud and adjusted her phone against her shoulder and her cheek. "Yeah yeah, I'm here, Tetsu." She leaned back on her chair for added comfort. _

"_I was wondering if Aomine-san could go shopping with me tomorrow for basketball shoes. It appear Nigou found a tear in my current ones." He inquired. "You seem to be the most ideal person with this sort of... Aomine-san?" _

He never needed to know that she fell back on her chair from shock. Kuroko had basically asked her out on a date on his own accord. (okay, she can dream, can't she?)

That very night, she could hardly sleep due to excitement and happiness running through her system. She woke up earlier than usual to find an attire fitting for the moment.

_Hmm... Something casual but girly? No._

_How about one of the latest in fashion? Pfft. Not like I have any of that shit. _

_A dress? Hell no._

In the end, she settled for black denim shorts with leggings underneath with a basic sweater-cardigan-jacket combination and her favourite Jordans.

She noticed his attire was still as bland as usual. The was an air of normalcy emitting from Kuroko and it almost made her feel as if she was being judged by bypassers for talking to air.

"Tetsu, are you even going to respond?" Aomine asked, looking over at her companion to confirm that, yes, he is there and did not disappear somewhere.

Luckily, he was right there in his nearly invisible glory. She took another note at how he worse Converse shoes instead of his usual basketball shoes. The light blue lining on the soles complimented, not only his hair, but the off-whiteness of his unbuttoned collared shirt. It was all very plain looking, but he dressed properly at least.

'_Unlike me._' The tanned-teen thought sullenly to herself. She stuffed her chilled hands in her coat pockets to warm them up but to no avail. The material of the jacket did not keep the pocket warm and insulated.

"Tetsu, let me borrow your hand for a while." She said as she already reached out for his left hand and pressed it against her reddening cheeks. She sighed out a breath of relief from the little heat emitting from his hand.

"Aomine-san, please wait for my reply next time." Kuroko chided lightly, not making a move to retract his hand back. To which she flashed a wide grin at him, holding the hand closer to her cheek.

"Hey Tetsu, let's get some lunch." Before he could even answer her, Aomine had already pulled Kuroko in the direction of a nearby Maji Burger.

Upon reaching Maji Burger and waiting in the queue to order their food, Kuroko spotted a familiar mop of dark red hair ahead of him. "Kagami-san?" The girl in question turned around to see her manager. Her face lit up.

"Kuroko!" She scooted towards the back of the line, allowing people behind her to move ahead of her for the sake of greeting her friend. "What's up?" A grunt behind Kuroko alerted her of another presence nearby, linking arms with him.

"Yo~ Kagami." Aomine greeted casually. The smug look on her face irked Kagami, reminding the girl of her recent loss in a one-on-one match against the tanned teen. Her smiled morphed into a grimace while her eyes locked on to Aomine's blue orbs.

"Haven't seen you around, Aomine. Guess losing in the first round of the Winter Cup really does some damage on you, huh?"

Aomine's expression contorted to a glower from her usual smug appearance. She looked at Kagami with contempt as she tightened her hold on Kuroko, squeezing his shoulder flush against her.

"Ma'am... I'm ready to take your order over here." A cashier called out to either of the power forwards while the queue behind the trio tapped their feet impatiently. Kagami granted the other patrons an apologetic look and Aomine walked ahead with Kuroko in tow.

Once the three have placed their orders, they waited at a table for their order. Kagami waited patiently for her meal while entertaining light conversation with Kuroko. Meanwhile, Aomine glared at the girl sitting across from her.

"Care to explain why you're interrupting our _date_?" Aomine was sure to emphasize that word 'date' especially for Kagami to understand. She was aware that Kagami was another rival in love, but unlike the other members of Kiseki, she was actually a formidable opponent (oh how wrong she was. They were all equals, in reality). The hot-headed red head looked up at her arch-rival and returned her glare with a pointed look. She left the question unanswered as she stood to retrieve her to-go order. After grabbing the overly large to-go bad, she pressed a light kiss on Kuroko's cheek and bid the two goodbye.

Aomine stared incredulously at Kuroko as he sipped at his milkshakes.

"Are you alright, Aomine-san?" He asked, monotone despite being concerned for her.

"Like hell!" She shouted, getting a hold of reality. There were looks directed in her direction and she merely waved them off, calming herself down before composing herself. She let out a deep breath she was unaware she's been holding and addressed the situation at hand. "What was with that kiss?" She hissed. In all her years of knowing Kuroko and how he approached advances such as that (mainly from Kise), he would brush them off and advise them to not do it again ('_Please do not play around._').

Kuroko blinked for a moment and responded, "Kagami is a returnee from America. Apparently, it is normal for foreigners to give a kiss as a greeting." Kuroko completely forgot about the time Alex had nearly tried to kiss him on the lips, or that Kagami actually gets flustered easily performing such intimate acts.

Aomine called bullshit on it. "Tch. She probably did it to spite me." She muttered beneath her breath, angrily biting into her third teriyaki burger. To her surprise, Kuroko had uttered a small chuckle.

"Aomine-san is quite amusing." He commented, returning to his milkshake.

From there, the two managed light conversation and finished their meal in no time. They left the restaurant and headed to the nearest athletics store.

"Hi! Welcome to Good Sportings! Is there anything in particular you are looking for today, ma'am?" The sales associate approached Aomine with a polite greeting.

"Yeah. I'm looking for something for my bo- _buddy_ here." She amended herself, catching herself before she admitted her secret fantasy. She motioned to her right with a jerk of her finger, but the saleslady stared blankly at Kuroko. "Oi, Tetsu. Say something."

"Hello. If you may, could you direct us to the men's basketball shoes?" He asked politely. The girl finally noticed his presence—to which Aomine addressed with a sigh—and stuttered with a surprise 'y-yes! Right this way sir!'

Really, people being shocked about seeing Kuroko must've gotten old for her former manager eventually.

Aomine occasionally gave her opinion on choosing basketball shoes and Kuroko, being surprisingly picky with his selection of basketball shoes, decided on a pair of white Nikes lined and streaked with various shades of blue, ranging from light to dark. She blushed and averted her gaze at the subtle context in his choice of footwear. '_Geez... Way to be subtle, Tetsu._'

After paying, the two exited the store. In Aomine's opinion, it was still too early to part. She wanted to make the most out of her time with him.

"Tetsu! Why don't you come over to my house? Mom's been dying to see you." She tried, hoping to convince him to stay with her a little longer by using such an excuse, the silent plea of '_stay with me a little longer_' lingering above her head.

Kuroko took a moment of thought and agreed. The walk to Aomine's home left bitter feelings of nostalgia in her mind.

"_That's amazing, Tetsu! How do you always manage to win those things?" She stared down at the popsicle stick in Kuroko's hand with the words 'Winner!' etched on the wood. Kuroko shrugged and held it out to her. _

"_You can have it, Daiki-san." He offered. She returned his gen__erous offer with a wild grin, snatching the popsicle stick from his fingers. _

"_Trying to woo me like you did with Natsuki, eh?" She teased, walking ahead of him as he escorted her to her home. Akashi had to stay behind to speak with the adviser after Kuroko already had, Midorima had a committee meeting, Kise left for her modeling job, and Murasakibara had another confession to reject. The power forward pinched herself for her luck, praying that it wasn't a dream. She finally had Kuroko all to herself! Hell yeah!_

"_I was unaware the same technique would be effective on you as well." Kuroko joked with his usual expressionless demeanor. She let out a snort at the joke and shoulder bumped him at his attempt. _

"_And you said you were bad at jokes, my ass." She laughed and Kuroko had a ghost of a smile. _

"Aomine-san?" Kuroko called out to her.

"Yeah?" She averted her attention back to him.

"Thank you for inviting me." He told her, flashing her with a small smile. The tanned-teen felt her face grow warm as she stared at the ground ahead of her.

"I should be thanking you, Tetsu." She murmured. Kuroko tried asking her to repeat what she had said but she denied it. "It's nothing." She took a hold of his hand. "Come on Tetsu! Mom misses ya!"

'_Like I did.'_

* * *

After the fiasco with her mother, Aomine took Kuroko's hand and lead him to her room. The room was still covered in posters of famous basketball players, most of them being from the States.

He took a seat by her bedside, sandwiching himself between the bed and the low coffee table. She threw the latest basketball magazine in his direction and scooted close to him to read with him.

"Which was your favourite player again, Tetsu?" She asked in hopes of sparking familiar conversation with him. He contemplated for a minute, flipping through some pages until he reached an article on Chris Paul. "Really? I figured you'd go for someone like that LeBron fellow?"

Their light and airy conversation continued until the sun began setting. The pair only noticed when strips of orange light littered the floor through the windows. On his way out the door, Aomine stopped him for a moment.

"...Earlier I wanted to thank you for today instead." She muttered, glancing away from his gaze in embarrassment.

"I am equally grateful...Aomine-san. Good day." He bowed and opened the door to leave.

In the heat of the moment, Aomine snatched his hand and pulled him towards her for a small, chaste kiss. "I can't let Bakagami get away with kissing you." She made an excuse, blushing wildly.

He gave her one more small smile and bowed his head once more. "Good day, Daiki-san."

* * *

_NG (Omake) : _

"_OH MY GOSH, TETSUYA-KUN!" The elderly woman screeched, throwing her arms around the petite boy. Aomine took a step to the side to avoid the collision. "It's been so long! We missed you so much here!" She squealed, pressing kisses on his pale cheeks and forehead of affection. _

"_Thank you, Aomine-san. I appreciate it." He thanked her politely, feeling uncomfortable the sudden contact._

* * *

_A/N: Fun facts: Chris Paul is Fujimaki's favourite player, and LeBron James actually employed impressive passing techniques in games! Pretty similar to Kuroko's impressive passing. _

_Also, is my OTP bias showing? (/w /) Whoops~_

_Also, **REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE POLL ON MY PAGE. PLEASE AND THANK YOU.**_


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